Strikes and demonstrations on Thursday against Emmanuel Macron's proposed reform of France's pensions system, which includes raising the age of retirement on full rights from 62 to 64 by 2030, brought more than 2 million people onto streets across France, according to trade unions, while interior ministry figures estimated turnout at 1.12 million.
Nationwide strike action and mass demonstrations were held in France on Thursday in opposition to Emmanuel Macron’s reform of the French pensions system, which includes raising the age of retirement on full pension rights from 62 to 64. The government appears to hope that what its spokesman called the “weariness” of the population, amid galloping inflation and the hike in energy costs, will see the protests over its reform peter out. Ellen Salvi reports on how the president’s strategy has led to a weakening of public debate and a disintegration of social democracy, and why a victory for his reform would threaten to set a time bomb ticking in the ballot box.
Jean-Paul Delevoye, the High Commissioner for Pensions and one of President Emmanuel Macron’s most trusted allies, has resigned his post after failing to publicly declare more than a dozen posts he held in addition to his cabinet job, just as union-led strikes in opposition to the reforms he was charged with seeing through reach a hightened stand-off with government this week.
