In France, according to the interior ministry, 740,000 demonstrators were on Tuesday during the tenth day of protest against the announced pension reforms. According to the CGT trade union, more than 2 million people are demonstrating, 450,000 of whom are in Paris.
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Again the riot police are present in large numbers and use tear gas and water cannons to disperse demonstrators. Objects such as trash cans were set on fire and the police took, among other things knives, fireworks and hammers confiscated. In the capital, a business was looted and 27 people were arrested, according to police. However, according to AFP news agency, the violence is less than last time.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said 201 people were arrested across France on Tuesday and 175 police officers were injured. In Valence, a building belonging to the Republican party was destroyed, in Nantes a bank branch of BNP Paribas and cars were set on fire and there were also riots in Rennes, Bordeaux and Toulouse.
The total turnout is lower than during the previous day of protest. At the time, the ministry reported that nearly 1.1 million people took to the streets, and the union estimated that number at 3.5 million. The eleventh day of protest has already been announced; which will take place on April 6.
Garbage strike
Meanwhile, talks between President Emmanuel Macron and the trade unions are going smoothly. The CGT trade union did announce that garbage collectors will collect the waste again from Wednesday after a three-week strike. Garbage bags have been piling up in the streets of France for weeks, resulting in stench and rats.
Earlier this month, Macron’s government pushed through controversial pension reforms, including raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. He thereby bypassed parliament, because it was uncertain whether it would approve the plans. The French government does not have a majority in parliament.