Continued protests in France; Protesters set fire to Macron’s favorite restaurant.
According to Germany’s “NTV”, negotiations between the government and labor unions have not yet been able to resolve the differences related to pension reform in France. Thousands of people took to the streets again last day to protest against these reforms. Finally, even Macron’s favorite restaurant in Paris was destroyed by protesters.
The 11th day of protests in France against pension reforms turned out to be smaller than before on Thursday, but violence was reported. Some protesters and security forces near the Paris restaurant “La Rotonde”, where President Emmanuel Macron The French president celebrated his victory in the 2017 elections, they got involved.
Several protesters dressed in black threw bottles, stones and firecrackers at the police. The security forces used tear gas against the protesters. The canopy of this famous restaurant, favorite of Macron, caught fire but was quickly extinguished. The police reported several injuries in their ranks. Demonstrators also stormed a bank in Paris and injured security forces.
Macron has used this restaurant many times to hold political meetings. Most recently, he held a handshake in January with German Chancellor Olaf Schultz at La Rotund, which was the target of demonstrators during the Yellow Vest protests three years ago.
According to the Ministry of Interior, about 570,000 people participated in the nationwide demonstration. The figures for trade unions are much higher in each case. In Paris, the police department counted 57,000 demonstrators, compared with 93,000 a week ago. The CGT Union announced the number of participants in the capital to be 400,000.
According to French Interior Minister Gérald Darwinin, 111 people were arrested across the country. Darmanin wrote on Twitter on Thursday that 154 security forces were injured in the clashes, some of them in critical condition.
In Nantes, western France, demonstrators and security forces clashed for more than three hours, with bullets fired and property damaged. A bank branch was set on fire in Nancy.
On the morning of the protests, demonstrators set up several barricades near Lyon, Rennes and Brest. Protests were also held in several universities and high schools. Rail traffic was also affected again, albeit less severely than in previous days.
