French Citizens Continue To Protest Against Pension Reform Across Country - Reports

Protesters in different regions of France have continued their strikes against the controversial pension reform following the decision of French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to invoke article 49.3 of the constitution to pass the bill without parliamentary approval, French media reported on Thursday

PARIS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 16th March, 2023) Protesters in different regions of France have continued their strikes against the controversial pension reform following the decision of French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne to invoke article 49.3 of the constitution to pass the bill without parliamentary approval, French media reported on Thursday.

Earlier in the day, Borne said that the government had adopted the law on raising the retirement age in the country after she invoked article 49.3 of the constitution.

The police dispersed a picket of garbage collectors in the Paris suburb of Vitry-sur-Seine with tear gas, the Franceinfo radio reported.

In addition, the demonstrators blocked roads in the city of Rennes in the north of the country to impede traffic. The protesters also burned tires and garbage cans, and erected fences using garbage containers, the report noted, adding that as a result of the strike, traffic jams stretched for 40 kilometers (24.8 miles).

At the same time, in the western city of Brest, port workers set up a barricade of containers and restricted access to the commercial port, the report said.

In the south-eastern region of the country near the city of Valence, protesters blocked railway tracks, temporarily suspending train traffic, the France Bleu radio reported.

In January, Borne unveiled a draft of the controversial pension reform that the government plans to adopt in 2023. Under the reform project, the French authorities intend to gradually raise the retirement age in the country by three months per year starting from September 1, 2023. By 2030, the retirement age will reach 64.

The draft reform has caused a massive backlash in French society. There have already been seven general strikes and hundreds of demonstrations in France within the last two months, with over 1 million people taking part in most of them. During the protests, clashes often broke out between the police and protesters.