More than a million demonstrators marched in cities and towns across France on Tuesday, in a new round of protests and strikes against the government’s plan to raise the retirement age to 64. Unions called for more protests this weekend while warning that the situation could become “explosive.”
The government “must withdraw its project now,” unions demanded after an evening meeting to decide their course of action.
They had hoped Tuesday’s show of force would undermine President Emmanuel Macron’s showcase draft legislation. The bill was under debate in the Senate this week.
Garbage collectors, utility workers, train drivers and others walked off the job across the country to show their anger at the reform.
“The silence of the president constitutes a grave democratic problem that inevitably leads to a situation that could become explosive,” unions said in a joint statement.
They asked for an urgent meeting with authorities while calling on citizens to “continue and amplify” the protests, and join new marches Saturday.
