2023 French pension reform strikes

The 2023 protests in France are a series of general strikes and demonstrations organised in France since 19 January by opponents to the pension reform of the Borne government, which plans to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 years old.

2023 French pension reform protests
Part of the protests against Emmanuel Macron
The 19-01 demonstration in Paris.
Date19 January 2023 – present (2023-01-19 – present)
(23 days)
Location
France
Caused byPension reform of the Borne government
GoalsCancellation of the pension reform of the Borne government
Methods
StatusOngoing
Parties to the civil conflict
Lead figures

Decentralized leadership (various social leaders)

Number
Between 1.2 and 2.8 millions[1]

Timeline

19 January
Demonstration against the pension reforms unveiled by French government, Sens.

On 19 January, the Ministry of the Interior counted 1.12 million demonstrators, including 80,000 in Paris.[1] Over 200 demonstrations were reported in the country.[2]

More than one million people took to the streets in Paris and other French towns on Thursday as part of countrywide protests over proposals to raise the retirement age.[3] Eight of the largest unions participated in the strike over pension reforms.[4] The French Ministry of the Interior said that 80,000 demonstrator gathered in the streets in Paris, where small numbers threw bottles, rocks, and fireworks at riot police.[4] Over 200 demonstrations were reported in the country.[2] According to the unions, 2 million people took part in the demonstrations with 400,000 of them participating in the Paris demonstrations.[3]

Despite the demonstrations, Emmanuel Macron emphasized that the pension reforms will go forward. French unions have declared that further strikes and protests would be held on 31 January in an effort to halt the government's plans to raise the standard retirement age from 62 to 64.[3] The new law would increase annual pension contributions, from 41 to 43 payments throughout the year.[5] Some flights out of Orly Airport were canceled, while the Eurostar website reported the cancellation of many routes between Paris and London. Though "a few delays" were reported at Charles de Gaulle Airport, owing to striking air traffic controllers, no flights were canceled.[4]

Number of demonstrators in the 10 most populated cities
City According to the police According to the unions
Paris[6] 80,000 400,000
Marseille[7][8] 26,000 140,000
Lyon[9] 23,000 38,000
Toulouse[10][11] 36,000 50,000
Nice[12][13] 7,500 20,000
Nantes[14] 40,000 75,000
Montpellier[15][16] 15,000 25,000
Strasbourg[17][18] 10,500 N/A

18,000 to 20,000 according to media sources.

Bordeaux[19][20] 16,000 60,000
Lille[21] 16,000 50,000

21 January

Another demonstration is organized in Paris the Saturday 21 January, planned from long ago by students and youth organizations.[22]

Paris

Demonstrations organized by different groups happened in other cities, like in Dinan,[23] Limoges[24] or Lyon.[25]

31 January
Reims.

Demonstrations were organized around the country with public transport, schools, and electricity production specifically targeted by the strikes. Public television broadcasters were also affected by the strikes, with News broadcasts cancelled with music played instead.[26]

According to the CGT union, 2.8 million people took part in the protests while the Ministry of Internal Affairs counted 1.272 million protesters.[1]

Number of demonstrators in the 10 most populated cities
City According to the police According to the unions
Paris 87,000 500,000
Marseille 40,000 205,000
Lyon 23,000 45,000
Toulouse 34,000 80,000
Nice 7,000 25,000
Nantes 28,000 65,000
Montpellier 25,000 30,000
Strasbourg 10,500 22,00
Bordeaux 16,000 75,000
Lille 15,000 70,000


7 February

On 7 February, a third day of national protests were held after being called by l’intersyndicale. According to the CGT, 400,000 people demonstrated in Paris, down 100,000 from the 31 of January. In total, over 2,000,000 strikers participated in demonstrations according to the CGT, while the police estimate that around 757,000 strikers participated in protests.[27]

11 February

On 11 February, a fourth day of national protests was held. According to the CGT, over 2,500,000 protestors took part in demonstrations, a rise of 500,000 compared to 7 February, while the Ministry of the Interior claims that 963,000 protested, a rise of over 200,000 compared to 7 February. In Paris, over 500,000 people demonstrated against the reform according to the CGT, while 93,000 demonstrated according to the prefecture. The Intersyndicale called for recurring strikes starting on 7 March. [28]

Similarity to Sarkozy and Political Ramifications

Macron's proposal to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 has been compared to former President Nicholas Sarkozy's 2010 reform that raised the retirement age from 60 to 62, which also led to massive strikes and protests across France.[29][30] Public opinion polling analysis has shown that Sarkozy's push for reform played a role in driving voters to both the Socialist Party and the far-right National Front in the 2012 Presidential election.[31]

See also

References
  1. "RETRAITES: LA CGT ANNONCE 2,8 MILLIONS DE MANIFESTANTS EN FRANCE, 1,272 MILLION SELON LA POLICE". BFM (in French). Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  2. Houdayer, Géraldine (19 January 2023). "Réforme des retraites: la CGT annonce "plus de 2 millions" de manifestants, le gouvernement 1,12 million". France Bleu.
  3. "France: Over 1 million march against raising retirement age". AP NEWS. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  4. Ziady, Joseph Ataman,Marguerite Lacroix,Hanna (19 January 2023). "Striking French workers lead 1 million people in protest over plans to raise retirement age | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 23 January 2023.
  5. "Why is the French pension age so low?".
  6. "Grève du 19 janvier: 80.000 manifestants selon la police, contre 400.000 pour la CGT". BFMTV. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  7. Canetto, Sidonie (19 January 2023). "Grève contre la réforme des retraites : forte mobilisation à Marseille, Avignon et Arles". France 3 Provence-Alpes. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  8. Ansquer, Mathilde; Grolée, Laurent; Glotin, Sophie (19 January 2023). "Grève contre la réforme des retraites : très forte mobilisation dans les Bouches-du-Rhône et le Var". France Bleu Provence. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  9. Barletta, Julien (19 January 2023). "Marée humaine à Lyon contre la réforme des retraites". Lyon Capitale. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  10. Vau, Alexandre (19 January 2023). "Entre 36.000 et 50.000 personnes ont manifesté contre la réforme des retraites à Toulouse". France Bleu Occitanie. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  11. #France : Massive demonstration against the pension reform in #Toulouse • 19 January 2023 on YouTube
  12. Marabeuf, Corentin; Ruiz, Benoît; Langlois, Marine (19 January 2023). "Grève du 19 janvier: mobilisation très importante à Nice, des milliers de participants". BFM Côte d'Azur. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  13. "Grève contre la réforme des retraites: les images de l'énorme manifestation niçoise". Nice-Matin. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  14. Aguilé, Camille (19 January 2023). "VIDÉO. Grève du 19 janvier contre la réforme des retraites. Une mobilisation de grande ampleur en Pays de la Loire". France 3 Pays de la Loire. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  15. "Grève du 19 janvier : jusqu'à 15 000 personnes ont défilé d'Antigone à la Comédie à Montpellier". Midi Libre. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  16. Guiomard, Morgane (19 January 2023). "VIDÉO - Entre 15.000 et 25.000 personnes à la manifestation contre la réforme des retraites à Montpellier". France Bleu Hérault. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  17. "Réforme des retraites : " Je n'ai jamais vu une manifestation sociale aussi grande à Strasbourg "". Rue89. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  18. Près de 20000 personnes manifestent contre la réforme des retraites à Strasbourg. on YouTube
  19. Barraux, Tristan (19 January 2023). "Réforme des retraites : à Bordeaux 60.000 manifestants selon les syndicats, 16.000 selon la préfecture". France Bleu Gironde. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  20. "Une mobilisation d'ampleur à Bordeaux pour la manifestation contre la réforme des retraites". Rue89. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  21. Mullet, Adeline; Lecluyse, Frédérick (19 January 2023). "Réforme des retraites: à Lille, au moins 30 000 personnes dans un cortège de plus de 3 km". La Voix du Nord. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  22. ""Marche pour nos retraites" : qui appelle à manifester ce samedi 21 janvier à Paris ?". BFMTV. 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  23. Menuge, Ewen (21 January 2023). "Côtes-d'Armor. Manifestation à Dinan : " Ne pas laisser retomber la pression "". Ouest-France. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  24. Mylle, Juliette (21 January 2023). "Réforme des retraites : près de 200 manifestants dans les rues de Limoges ce samedi". France Bleu Limousin. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  25. "Ce samedi, deuxième manifestation de la semaine contre la réforme des retraites à Lyon". LyonMag. 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
  26. Libert, Lucien; Hamaide, Sybille De La (31 January 2023). "France hit by second nationwide strike against pension reform". Reuters. Retrieved 31 January 2023.
  27. Clair, Alice; Guillot, Julien (2 February 2023). "Réforme des retraites : suivez l'ampleur de la mobilisation, manifestation après manifestation" [Retirement Reform: follow the size of the mobilisation, protest after protest]. Libération (in French). Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  28. Villechenon, Anna; Favier, Sandra; L’Hénoret, Solène (11 February 2023). "Manifestations du 11 février, en direct : entre 963 000 et 2,5 millions de personnes ont manifesté samedi en France" [11 February Protests: between 963,000 and 2,5 millions of people protested Saturday in France]. Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 11 February 2023.
  29. "Macron Digs In as Hostility to French Pension Reform Mushrooms". Bloomberg.com. 30 January 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  30. "French pension reforms and the protests they faced". Reuters. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
  31. "French retirement reform may have political consequences far beyond the borders of France". Theory driven political analysis. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.