The second round of the fight against pension reform will not take place in the same ring. This Tuesday, January 31, the start of the event organized in Rennes (Ille-et-Vilaine) will not take place from the Esplanade de Gaulle as usual but on the Mitterrand mail. The declared route will leave at 11 a.m. in the direction of Boulevard de la Tour-d’Auvergne before branching off onto Boulevard du Colombier and Rue de l’Alma. The procession will then take the “classic” route which will take it to the quays before reaching the Mitterrand mall.
This new route was set up by the inter-union following the strong mobilization of January 19. Between 25,000 and 30,000 people marched according to the organizers, 17,000 according to the prefecture. A substantial crowd which had posed a major problem in the Breton capital: while the head of the procession had already completed its course to return to the Esplanade de Gaulle, the tail of the parade had barely started.
The big march was also disrupted by the fire of a Tesla car after the passage of the head of the procession, which had slowed down the parade and forced many demonstrators to deport to other streets.
The January 19 event went well overall in Rennes. About fifteen businesses had still been targeted by hooded demonstrators. This Tuesday, the police force should be reinforced in the Breton capital.