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On May 1, France saw another round of nationwide protests, with violence escalating in Paris and other cities. Protesters declared “the beginning of a new French revolution.”
Immediately after the start of the protests, violent clashes between the black bloc protesters and law enforcement officers began in the French capital. The police used tear gas. The radicals threw firecrackers, paint balls and bottles at the guards, they also smashed the windows of banks and other enterprises.
According to the French Interior Ministry, 291 people have been detained and at least 108 police officers have been injured.
The day before, French police were allowed to use drones equipped with cameras to monitor the crowd at protests. Human rights organizations have filed a complaint against this decision, saying that the use of drones in this way violates fundamental rights.
President Macron is trying to turn the page in a fierce debate over his pension reform plan. Macron insists that the proposed changes are necessary to reform the system, while some of the government’s own experts expressed the opinion that the pension system is in relatively good condition and is likely to return to a balanced budget without reforms.
Public anger over the proposed changes was compounded after the government used Article 49.3 – known as the “nuclear option” – to push the reform through parliament without a vote in March.
On April 14, the Constitutional Council of France approved a key article of the draft law on pension reform, which assumes the increase of the retirement age in the country from 62 to 64 years by 2030. On the same day, Macron signed the law, the document was published in the official journal.
While May 1 is celebrated worldwide as a labor rights holiday, this year’s rallies in France marked a broader disillusionment of citizens with the authorities. The growing violence of the protesters may lead to uncontrolled escalation.
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