Lower turnout in protests against pension reform in France

Clashes broke out in Paris, where, according to the Interior Ministry, around 48,000 people demonstrated.

Lower turnout in protests against pension reform in France

Clashes broke out in Paris, where, according to the Interior Ministry, around 48,000 people demonstrated. Demonstrators threw objects at police officers, shop windows were smashed and several rubbish bins were set on fire. According to the police, 32 people were arrested.

The protests and strikes that have been going on for weeks are directed against the pension reform debated in the Senate, which provides for an increase in the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. The Senate has until midnight on Sunday for the debate. The text then goes to the mediation committee. The government is hoping for a final passage next Thursday, relying on the votes of conservative Republicans.

President Emmanuel Macron has been criticized for largely staying out of the pension reform debate. In a letter to the unions published on Thursday, he signaled a willingness to engage in dialogue, but did not respond to the unions' repeated requests to meet with him.

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