French anger over President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms has shown no signs of abating – New tensions between protesters and police – Burnt bins and cars, blockade of train tracks at Gare de Lyon station in Paris
Rail workers protest on the tracks at Gare de Lyon train station in Paris, France while smoke bombs are set off at Biarritz Airport.
French anger over President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms has shown no signs of abating, as hundreds of citizens took to the streets on Tuesday, the 10th day of nationwide protests. However, the French turnout was smaller today than last time when serious incidents occurred.
Rue d’Orléans à #Rennes, nouvel affrontement avec les forces de l’ordre. Demonstrators tried to set up a barricade with wooden panels and trash cans. Place de la République shelters are destroyed. #strike28mars #manifestation28mars pic.twitter.com/LwMDF0cLvS
— Julien Chaillou (@JuChaillou) March 28, 2023
However, the fear that the tensions will continue today resulted in 13,000 policemen being deployed on the streets of France since morning, half of them in the French capital.
The demonstrations started peacefully on Tuesday morning. However, there was no lack of micro-tensions. Videos on social media showed smoke canisters being fired by protesters outside Biarritz Airport’s entrance and boarding area at the terminal, before it was evacuated after an announcement was issued. Further north, the protesters holding metal of others a banner that read “The police are mutilating. We don’t forgive!”blocked train tracks at Paris’s Gare de Lyon station, according to CNN affiliate BFM.
Also in the city of Rennes, clashes broke out between protesters and police when the former tried to set up a roadblock with wooden panels and rubbish bins. Bus stops were destroyed in the “Liberty Square”, while the police used tear gas to break up the procession in the “Saint-Germain” square.
Place Saint-Germain à #Rennes. Les forces de l’ordre font usage de gaz lacrimogenes pour tenter de disperse le cortège qui pursuit son chemin vers la place de la République. #strike28mars #manifestation28mars pic.twitter.com/KCZkXzMH9O
— Julien Chaillou (@JuChaillou) March 28, 2023
Tension was also caused earlier in the city of Nantes. At the end of the march, protesters broke the windows of the administrative court. Also, a fire broke out near the medical school, which quickly spread, requiring the intervention of firefighters. A car was also burnt as well as rubbish bins.
Une voiture a brûlée. Des feux de poubelles sont aussi en train d’être éteints devant le tribunal administratif qui avait été pris pour cible last semaine passée #Nantes #Manif28Mars @Le_Figaro pic.twitter.com/KLGE9SbBT7
—Laurène Trillard (@laurenetrillard) March 28, 2023
The police had prepared early for the outbreak of violent incidents. The interior minister said more than 1,000 “radical” rioters, some from abroad, could join the marches planned in Paris and elsewhere.
“They come to destroy, injure and kill policemen and gendarmes. Their goals have nothing to do with pension reform. Their goals are to destabilize our democratic institutions and to pour blood and fire into France,” the minister said yesterday, Monday.
For another day, public services in France were paralyzed while problems were also caused in the means of transport. Also, the garbage continues to flood the streets of the city of Paris, however, the CGT announced the suspension of the strike of the cleaners from tomorrow Wednesday.
Source :Skai
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