France: More than 100 policemen injured in May Day protest against pension law

More than 100 French police officers sustained injuries in riots in Paris on Monday, May 1, following unpopular pension reforms put into law last month, according to CNN. According to French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, the police had warned of a higher danger of violence ahead of the protest against pension law, with a total of 291 detentions across France, 90 of whom were seized in Paris. The capital of France had devolved into a fierce conflict between demonstrators and police.

Reacting to the protests, France Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne tweeted, “In many cities in France, this May Day was a moment of responsible mobilization and commitment. The scenes of violence on the sidelines of the processions are all the more unacceptable. Support for our law enforcement.”

This is the latest day of mass action against changes that raise the state pension age from 62 to 64. Trade unions want them withdrawn.

In April, French President Emmanuel Macron, despite severe protests across the country, signed a pension bill into law to raise the country’s retirement age by two years, Al Jazeera reported.

After months of protest, France’s Constitutional Council approved the important retirement-age legislation, which the administration hurried through parliament without a final vote.

The nine-member Constitutional Council approved key reform provisions, such as raising the retirement age to 64 and increasing the number of years of employment required for a full pension, after determining that the legislation harmonised with French law.

According to Al Jazeera, the effort to implement the bill proved to be the most difficult domestic challenge of Macron’s second term due to both enormous public opposition to the amendments and his own diminishing personal popularity.

According to Al Jazeera, two of the nine minor ideas that were rejected in the discussion were a specific contract for older workers and asking large firms to report the number of people over the age of 55 that they employ.

Previously, on March 16, parliament enacted the reforms after the government used a method to avoid a vote by MPs, sparking countrywide uproar. When the government survived two no-confidence motions on March 20, they were deemed adopted by parliament.