MORE THAN ONE MILLION PROTEST IN FRANCE AGAINST MACRON’S PENSION REFORM

Thu 23 March 2023:

More than a million French people demonstrated on Thursday, against the pension reform announced by President Emmanuel Macron Anadolu Agency reported.

Private broadcaster RTL France reported that approximately 1.1 million people, including almost 120,000 in the nation’s capital Paris, took part in the protests, citing the Interior Ministry.

The ministry also reported that 80 people were detained and at least 123 police and gendarmes were injured during protests across the country.

Earlier, the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), the organizer of Thursday’s demonstrations, had claimed some 3.5 million demonstrated in multiple cities in the country.

CGT also called for new nationwide strikes in multiple sectors and demonstrations for Friday.

France’s national human rights commission on Thursday expressed concern over police violence targeting the protesters.

Demonstrations have continued relentlessly in France since the government decided last week to bypass parliament and adopt a draft pension reform bill that would see the minimum retirement age rise by two years.

The French National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH) said in a statement that it was concerned by security forces’ interventions in the protests, particularly those since March 16, when the measure was adopted.

The commission also said it notified the UN and Council of Europe’s monitoring mechanisms, adding that numerous protesters have been arrested and placed into custody arbitrarily.

It also said that those arrested include two journalists who were placed in custody on March 17, a move denounced by journalist unions.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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