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Hundreds of people have been detained in violent protests after French government forces passed their retirement age

France pension reform int,  Hundreds of people have been detained in violent protests after French government forces passed their retirement age,
At least 310 people have been detained across France as the crisis-hit government faces a backlash over pension reforms that would raise the country's retirement age by two years.

Most of the arrests Thursday night - 258 - were in Paris, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told French radio RTL. Although calm had returned to the capital's streets by Friday morning, government ministers remained on the defensive following Thursday night's impromptu protests.

The French government on Thursday pushed through a controversial plan to raise France's retirement age from 62 to 64, sparking a week of protests across the country. Government spokesman Olivier Veran and Budget Minister Gabriel Attal echoed President Emmanuel Macron's claim that the government was unwilling to use its constitutional powers to push through the law. They spoke separately to French media, LCI, and France Inter. "If we don't implement [reforms] today, we will have to take even more brutal measures in the future," Attar said.

Protesters briefly blocked the Paris ring road Friday morning to protest pension reforms, causing long delays on the morning commute, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported. A strike by sanitation workers has left many streets in Paris littered with garbage bags and continues. Interior Minister Dalmanin said he would order the police to force some of them to work. "I respect the garbage collectors' strike," he said, "but the unsanitary conditions are unacceptable."

In a report late on Thursday, the Interior Ministry, reacting to the pension reform, called on security forces to "resolutely maintain" the protection of French elected officials, who "sometimes threaten, insult or even destroy property etc. with abusive behaviour". ".

Prime Minister Elisabeth Bon announced in the National Assembly on Thursday that Macron would introduce special constitutional powers to implement the proposed pension reform bill.

"We can't bet on the future of our pensions," Byrne said to jeers and cheers from lawmakers. "This reform is necessary."

The leader of France's Workers' Party called for fresh demonstrations after Bern's announcement, and thousands gathered in the Place de la Concorde in Paris and several other French cities on Thursday evening.

"By appealing to [constitutional article] 49.3, the government shows that it does not have majority consent to raise the statutory retirement age by two years," tweeted Laurent Berger, head of the CFDT, the union that leads one of the protesting unions. . CGT union president Philippe Martinez has also called for more strikes and protests, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported.

Since mid-January, mass protests have been taking place regularly across France, with millions of people voicing their opposition to the government's plans. Mass strikes affect transport and education.

The government argues that reforms are needed to prevent the pension system from running into deficits in the coming years. "The goal is to balance the books without raising taxes or cutting pensions. There are several options, but they all involve raising the retirement age," government spokesman Olivier Veran told reporters in January, according to Reuters.

A constitutional workaround

A pension reform bill passed the French Senate early Thursday but faces several hurdles to get through the National Assembly, the lower house of the country's parliament.

The meeting was adjourned due to Bourne's announcement. As she explained the government's decision, chaotic scenes broke out among lawmakers, who tried to make their voices heard by singing France's national anthem, the Marseillaise, and others holding signs reading "No 64".

Byrne also criticized far-right MPs in the lower house of parliament for not supporting the legislation.

Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Unity party, called on the prime minister to resign. "After the Prime Minister just slapped the French people in the face with reforms they don't want, I think Elisabeth Bon should step down," Le Pen tweeted on Thursday.



Pension reform has been a highly sensitive issue in France, where the right to retire at the age of 62 with a full pension is highly valued, even more so now that social discontent is growing over the rising cost of living. But France, which has one of the lowest retirement ages in the industrialized world, also spends more on pensions than most other countries, accounting for nearly 14% of economic output, according to data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.



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