A group of protesters briefly invaded offices of stock market operator Euronext in Paris’ La Defense business district on Thursday, saying big companies must pay up to finance pensions, as part of wider protests against a rise in the retirement age. “We are told that there is no money to finance pensions,” said Sud-Rail unionist Fabien Villedieu. But there is “no need to get the money from the pockets of workers, there is some in the pockets of billionaires.” The Associated Press has the story:
France: Pension law anger fuels more protests
Newslooks- GANGES, France (AP)
Hundreds of people opposed to the new law raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 gathered Thursday in a small town in southern France ahead of a visit by President Emmanuel Macron, while scattered protests were staged elsewhere.
Macron’s trip to Ganges comes amid a concerted new effort by him and his government to move on from the furor caused by the pension reform.
Demonstrators sang what has become the anthem of the retirement protests: “We are here, we are here, even if Macron doesn’t want (us to be here), we are here.”
The French president met with teachers and students at a middle school, where he promoted his education policies. At his arrival, the site was hit by a power cut, which the local branch of the hard-left CGT union said was a protest action.
Dozens of police were deployed in the small town to prevent protesters from getting close to the school. They briefly used tear gas to disperse people who tried to storm the barriers.
On Wednesday, Macron went to eastern France, where he mingled among a crowd for the first time since he enacted the law last week. Many seized the occasion to voice their anger. Raising the retirement age ignited a months-long firestorm of protest. Opponents were further infuriated after Macron’s government in March forced the legislation through parliament, using special government powers.
The CGT union has called for scattered protest actions across the country.
In Paris, hundreds of people gathered for a peaceful demonstration at the Gare de Lyon train station.
They later headed to the business district of La Defense, west of the capital, where they briefly stormed the building of European stock exchange Euronext, brandishing flares.
“We want to show that the mobilization continues,” Fabien Villedieu, head of Sud Rail union, told the Associated Press. “There’s no way we’re going to let this reform pass.”
The action at Euronext aims at showing “where the money is,” Villedieu said. “France has never been so rich, never have the multinationals in France been so rich. The problem is the distribution of wealth.”
Macron argued that raising the retirement age is needed to keep the French pension system afloat amid an aging population. Unions and other opponents said wealthy taxpayers or companies should pitch in more instead, and see the reform as an erosion of France’s social safety net.
Earlier Thursday, some protesters in the northern city of Lille walked along the railway line, blocking all train traffic for about one hour. They then left peacefully.
Several unions joined a strike at the national railway company SNCF, slightly disrupting train traffic Thursday. Some regional lines and Paris suburban trains were affected, while high-speed trains were running almost as normal, the SNCF said.
