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More than 450 arrested during pension protests in France
Demonstrators march through the streets of Marseille, southern France, in protest against pension reforms. photo
© Daniel Cole/AP/dpa
In the dispute over the pension reform, the French government is still under pressure. Violence has become increasingly common in the protests. Hundreds of demonstrators were arrested.
Hundreds of people have been arrested in France during violent protests against the pension reforms that have been passed. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin spoke of 457 arrests on CNews on Friday. About 440 police officers and gendarmes were injured in the riots. In Paris alone there were around 900 fires on the fringes of the protests.
Since the center government under President Emmanuel Macron pushed through the controversial pension reform last week without a vote by the National Assembly, there has been an increase in violence during protests. Unions had again called for a major day of strikes and demonstrations on Thursday. The mood in some cities was already tense during the day.
Pension reform is considered one of President Macron’s key projects. The government wants to gradually raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. In addition, the number of payment years required for a full pension should increase more quickly. This is intended to avert an imminent hole in the pension fund. The unions consider the project unfair and brutal. The text has been approved, but is still with the Constitutional Council for review. Macron wants the reform to come into force by the end of the year.
Interview Darmanin CNews