Protests, clashes across France after government pushes through pension change without vote

French President Emmanuel Macron ordered the prime minister to use special constitutional powers on Thursday that rocked parliament to push through an unpopular bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a vote.

The perceived risk – to use Article 49.3 of the constitution to pass a vote on reform measures – created an uproar among parliamentarians, who began to sing the national anthem even before Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne arrived in the lower chamber. He spoke strongly about the outcry, admitting that Macron’s unilateral move would spark a no-confidence motion against his government.

The fury of opposition MPs fueled the anger of citizens and trade unions.

Thousands gathered in an unplanned protest in the Place de la Concorde overlooking the National Assembly, lighting fires. As night fell, police fired tear gas and charged the protesters in waves to clear the area.

A small group of evicted people moved through the nearby streets in a beautiful environment that made fires along the way. At least 120 were detained, police said.

Shop, front bank collapsed

Similar scenes were repeated in many other cities, from Rennes and Nantes in the east to Lyon and the southern port city of Marseille, where shop windows and bank fronts were smashed, according to French media. Radical leftist groups are blamed for at least some of the damage.

Unions that have been organizing strikes and marches since January, leaving Paris reeking of garbage, have announced new rallies and protest marches in the coming days. “This pension reform is brutal, unfair, unfair to the world of workers,” he said.

French unions have called for another day of strikes and action against the reforms on March 23.

WATCH | France rocked by protests:

Protests in Paris after pension reforms were implemented

A crowd of more than 2,000 protesters expressed their displeasure with French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, after she pushed a pension reform bill through the National Assembly without a vote.

Potential for ‘uncontrollable rage’

Polls show that a majority of voters oppose pension reform, as do unions, which say there are other ways to balance the account, including taxing the rich more.

The administration is likely to anger unions, protesters and left-wing opposition parties who say the pension overhaul is unfair and unnecessary.

Socialist Party chief Olivier Faure told Reuters on Thursday that he could unleash “uncontrollable anger” after weeks of strikes and protests that have disrupted power production, blocked some shipments from refineries and seen piles of garbage on the streets of Paris.

“We are as determined as ever,” said CGT unionist Christophe Jouanneau at the refinery on strike in the western French city of Donges. “Starting next week, we’ll be picking up equipment.”

Opposition parties say they will seek a vote of no confidence in the government, which will be voted on in the coming days, possibly as early as Monday.