France's protest escalate as railway workers briefly invade BlackRock building, they vow to continue as 'We're the only check on Macron'

Juliette Jabkhiro
Reuters
Thu, 06 Apr 2023 11:15 UTC

© REUTERS/Stephanie Lecocq

French railway workers on strike demonstrate against BlackRock company inside an office building as part of the eleventh day of nationwide strikes and protests against French government's pension reform, in Paris, France, April 6, 2023.

Dozens of trade unionists railing against French President Emmanuel Macron's pension overhaul briefly invaded the central Paris building in which U.S.-brd investment firm BlackRock has an office, chanting slogans and setting off firecrackers.

The union action in the historical Centorial building near Paris' Grand Boulevards area, targetted BlackRock because of its private pension fund activity, protester Françoise Onic, 51, told Reuters.

Comment: BlackRock has its tentacles in much more than just pensions: BlackRock's tyrannical ESG agenda

"The government wants to throw away pensions, it wants to force people to fund their own retirement with private pension funds, but what we know is that only the rich will be able to benefit from such a setup," Onic, a school teacher, added.

Comment:

The action came on an 11th day of nationwide union-organised strikes and demonstrations against the government's plan to increase the retirement age by two years to 64.

Comment: The strikes have actually been ongoing since the very start of the year and large protests - a few counting millions in attendance - have been ongoing since at least last month.

BlackRock did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Thomson Reuters has an office in the same building.

Unlike many other European countries in which pensions are at least partially financed by private pension funds, France has a system whereby the contributions of those who are currently working directly fund the pensions of those now in retirement.

The government says change is needed to keep the pension system in the black.

Loudly singing the French anti-pension reform protester's favourite slogan "On est la" ("we are here") the demonstrators left the building after about half an hour, leaving its large atrium filled with acrid smoke from the firecrackers.

Comment: The 'acrid' smoke from the firecrackers pales in comparison to the tear gas liberally blasted at protesters by Macron's security forces.

France24 reports:

'We're the only check on Macron': French protesters vow no let-up in bitter pension battle

Clashes broke out in several cities, including in Paris, where some protesters briefly set fire to the awning of a famed brasserie prized by the French president.

© Benjamin Dodman, FRANCE 24

Protesters gathered outside the Invalides in Paris on Thursday for an 11th day of strikes and rallies against pension reform.

Macron, currently on a visit to China, is facing the biggest challenge of his second term over his fiercely contested pension overhaul, which his government rammed through parliament without a vote, using special executive powers. The move furthered enraged critics of his plans to raise the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64, sparking days of unrest and fuelling talk of a political and institutional crisis.

All sides in the standoff are awaiting an April 14 verdict on the validity of the reform by France's Constitutional Council, which has the power to strike down part or even all of the legislation.

While council members, known as the sages (wise ones), are expected to make a decision based on legal - not political - considerations, unions are determined to show the protest movement born in January still has momentum. They have already called for a 12th day of strikes and protests next Thursday, on the eve of the ruling.

"We're here to put pressure on the Constitution Council," said 29-year-old Nastasia, marching on the Esplanade des Invalides in central Paris, the starting point of the French capital's eleventh mass rally since the start of the year.

Nastasia said she harboured "only a slim hope" of seeing the sages strike down the law, noting that most council members have been appointed either by Macron and his allies or by the conservative leader of the Senate, a longtime advocate of raising the retirement age.

"There's little reason to think they will listen to the people any more than Macron has," added her mother Pascaline, a teacher in the Paris region, venting her anger at a government that has refused to back down in the face of France's biggest protests in decades.

'People are not resigned - they're enraged'

Macron's government argues that raising the retirement age and stiffening the requirements for a full pension are required to balance the pension system amid rising life expectancy.

The pensions, like the fuel tax hike that sparked the 2-year long Yellow Vest protests, were just the last straw for people.

A united front of French unions, however, says the proposed measures are unfair and will disproportionately affect low-skilled workers who start their careers early, as well as women.

The notion of pénibilité (arduousness) in particular has been a recurrent theme, with protesters lamenting the government's refusal to acknowledge the hardship endured by low-income workers who perform physically-draining tasks. Macron has in the past said he was "not a fan" of the word pénibilité, "because it suggests that work is a pain".

As usual (unintentionally, or not) Macron misses the point entirely.

Such statements reflect the government's "disconnect from real life", said a group of striking workers from the Prince de Galles luxury hotel in Paris, rallying in the French capital.

"Politicians have no idea what it means to carry heavy trays and lift mattresses all day long," said their union representative. "They wouldn't last a week in our job - let alone work till they're 64."

The perceived inequity of Macron's pension reform has touched a raw nerve in a country that has the word "égalité" (equality) enshrined in its motto. Talk of its unfairness has been a key driver of the mass protests that have brought millions to the streets in cities, towns and villages across the country, drawing from well beyond the ranks of the left.

Up until recently, the mainstream media has attempted to portray these protests as solely about the pension reform, however it seems that now the real reasons behind why unrest has erupted - yet again - is becoming undeniable.

"Macron said he would unite the country, bridging the left-right divide," said 45-year-old Hélène, an unemployed protester in Paris. "In the end, he's united people against him."

Polls have consistently shown that more than two thirds of the country oppose the pension overhaul. A broad majority of the French has also expressed support for strikes that have disrupted schools, public transport and rubbish collection, last month burying the streets of Paris - the world's most visited city - under stinking piles of trash.

Hélène dismissed talk of the protest movement losing steam, despite a dip in turnout.

"People are not resigned - they're enraged," she said, blasting the government's decision to bypass parliament on such a fiercely contested reform. "There's no checks on Macron," she added. "We're the only check."

'If people don't bother to vote, I won't blame them'

The interior ministry said 570,000 people protested across France on Thursday, sharply down from the 740,000 it counted last week. Official figures remain well below organisers' counts, with the CGT union claiming 400,000 people rallied in Paris while the ministry put the figure at almost ten times less.

The official numbers rarely reflect the real turn out, and note that nearly half a million were out on the street just in Paris, whilst there were rallies held across the country.

Among the crowd, some hardline protesters pelted paint against the shields of heavily equipped policemen outside La Rotonde, a famous brasserie favoured by Macron. Its red awning briefly caught fire, before the flames were put out.

Earlier in the day, striking railway workers stormed the former headquarters of the Crédit Lyonnais bank, a building that now houses companies including the BlackRock investment firm. In the western city of Nantes, several protesters threw rocks at police, who responded with tear gas.

Rallies were otherwise largely peaceful, featuring brass bands and dancing demonstrators.

"At every new rally I turn up fearing the movement has petered out, but it hasn't," said Hortense, a publisher in her 30s who attended all 11 protests in Paris. "People are so fed up they are ready to sacrifice their finances," she added, pointing to the huge cost for workers of striking on multiple days.

When people feel they're losing everything, what have they got left to lose?

Hortense questioned the wisdom of Macron alienating swathes of the country and the opposition while leading a minority government. "Does Macron really think he can govern for the next four years with his head buried in the sand?" she asked.

Heavy-handed policing, coupled with the government's repeated rants against "ultra-left rioters" and its criticism of rights groups, threatened to blur the line between the government and the far right in voters' minds, Hortense added.

The bitter standoff has certainly eroded Macron's popularity, with multiple polls now putting his approval rating at below 30 percent - its lowest level since the Yellow Vest crisis that rattled his first term in office. This week, a poll from the Elabe group suggested the far-right's Marine Le Pen would defeat him if the presidential election of last year were repeated now.

"Last year was already a vote of despair," said 22-year-old student Tara, one of many voters who reluctantly backed Macron in a presidential runoff in order to keep the far right out of power. She added: "If people don't bother to vote next time, I won't blame them."

More footage and reporting from today's protest and strike action: