About 757 thousand people in France participated in demonstrations against the pension reform. This was announced on February 7 by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the republic.
In Paris, according to the authorities, the number of demonstrators amounted to 57 thousand people.
At the same time, the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) trade union claims that 2 million people participated in the protests, including 400 thousand in Paris.
On February 7, French trade unions launched new mass actions against raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 years. The marchers came out with banners, chanting the slogans “Macron, take your hands off our pensions”, “No reform without universal approval” and others.
This action became the third one since the beginning of the year. It was noted that representatives of the Black bloc movement began to break the windows of shops and cafes, as well as blow up firecrackers. Police officers tried to prevent them, and in response they threw bottles at them.
The first general demonstration took place on 19 January. According to the trade union, the rally in Paris had 400,000 participants, and a total of 2 million people protested in 200 rallies in the country. On January 31, a second nationwide strike took place in France against raising the retirement age. Then the police in Paris detained 23 people.
French Prime Minister Elisabeth Born on January 10 introduced a reform according to which the retirement age in the country will rise from 62 to 64 years. So, from September 1, 2023, the retirement period will gradually increase and will reach 64 years in 2030.