French police use tear gas and water cannons against mass pension protest, 217 arrests in Paris | Abroad

Not only in Paris, but across the country, people took to the streets again yesterday to express their dissatisfaction with the government’s pension plans. They set up barricades and set them on fire. In Paris, riot police fired rubber bullets and deployed tear gas and water cannons on the Place de la Concorde, where thousands of protesters had gathered. In the evening, agents carried out charges to push back and disperse the demonstrators.

The Place de la Concorde is near the French parliament, where Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne announced on Thursday afternoon that he would use a constitutional article to push through pension reforms. Parliament is thus sidelined. Critics find the relevant article, which has been used a hundred times in French history, undemocratic.

French media reported unrest in several cities, including Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse and Dijon. In Lille, two demonstrators were hospitalized with injuries. In Rennes bus shelters and a real estate agency had to pay for it. Clashes between police and activists were also reported in Nantes.

Since January, demonstrations have been held in France against the pension plans, which include raising the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64. The national days of action, including public transport strikes, attracted millions of participants.