Violence broke out on the streets of Paris today when French ‘yellow vest’ protesters gathered on the 24th day of the nationwide multi-sector strike.
The strike against pension reforms championed by President Emmanuel Macron began on December 5 and has seen most of the Paris metro shut down ever since and only a fraction of inter-city trains running.
Jerome Rodrigues, one of the leading figures of the ‘Gilet Jaunes’ (yellow vest) movement, was injured in the eyebrow after being hit by the shield of an anti-riot policeman who was pushing back the front row of protesters.
Protesters gathered on the Place de la Bourse and the Gare du Nord train station in Paris, holding placards with Macron’s face on them. One of which read: ‘Macron, withdrawal is urgent!’
The head of a hardline French trade union on Friday vowed to press on with the crippling strike that has cast a shadow over Christmas celebrations, with the stoppages entering a fourth week and becoming the longest-lasting such action since the 1980s.
A demonstrator holds a French flag as he faces down a row of police officers with riot shields during a protest against pension reform plans in Paris today
Police officers run past a burning barricades during a protest against pension reform plans in Paris today
Protesters and ‘Gilets Jaunes’ (Yellow Vests) lead by French Unions participate in a demonstration against pension reforms in Paris today
Demonstrators run away from teargas fired by police during a protest against pension reform plans in Paris today
Demonstrators throw planks of wood on a fire near to the Gare du Nord train station in Paris today as they protest against President Macron’s planned pension reforms
Now on day 23, the union stoppage is longer than the notorious 22-day strike of the winter of 1995 under late president Jacques Chirac against welfare cutbacks which forced the then government into a U-turn.
The longest transport strike in France lasted for 28 days, also over Christmas, in 1986 and early 1987. Calls by Macron and others for a holiday truce have gone unheeded.
‘It’s a strong movement and still supported by public opinion,’ said Philippe Martinez, secretary general of the CGT union as he visited picketing workers at a bus depot.
A protester draped with the French flag holds his arm high in a gesture of victory during today’s demonstrations in Paris
Demonstrators run away from teargas fired by police during a protest against pension reform plans in Paris today
Riot police stand behind shields as they clash with protesters at the Gare du Nord train station in Paris today
He lashed out at Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who has said he wants no confrontation with the strikers, accusing him of not being true to his word.
‘The government shows how agitated it is with this kind of conception of social dialogue,’ said Martinez.
Transport in Paris remained paralysed on Saturday, a day the French capital would normally be crammed with shoppers seeking post-Christmas bargains or preparing for the New Year.
‘Gilets Jaunes’ (Yellow Vests) protesters participate in a demonstration against pension reforms on the Gare du Nord train station in Paris, France today. Unions representing railway and transport workers and many others in the public sector have called for a 24th days consecutive general strike and demonstration to protest against French government’s reform of the pension system
A protester holds a sign depicting French President Emmanuel Macron with the words, ‘Let them come and get me !’ on the Place de la Bourse in Paris during a demonstration called by the ‘Gilets Jaunes’ (Yellow Vests) movement today
Jerome Rodrigues, one of the leading figures of the ‘yellow vests’ (gilets jaunes) movement, shows his eye after being injured by an anti-riot policeman who was pushing back the front row of protesters during a demonstration in Paris today
Protesters gather on the Place de la Bourse in Paris during a demonstration called by the ‘Gilets Jaunes’ earlier today
There appears to be no end in sight to the current walkouts with talks between the government and unions only set to resume on January 7 and major demonstrations planned two days later.
Just two driverless metro lines worked normally Friday and five lines were completely shut down. National rail operator SNCF said six out of every 10 high-speed TGV trains were running.
SNCF said in a statement that while 8.5 per cent of its total employees were on strike, 38.8 per cent of drivers were not working. It said just 35 per cent of scheduled TGVs would be working on New Year’s Day and 50 per cent on January 2.
‘I feel like the government is even more cornered than it was in 1995, so we are heading towards a deadlock with the government eventually winning the conflict, but with a lot of collateral damage,’ said Bernard, a pensioner, as he waited for a train at Montparnasse station in Paris.
Another passenger, Audrey, a saleswoman, said she was in favour of the strike. ‘They want their voices to be heard, and, unfortunately, there is no other way. Of course there are elections, but it’s not enough.’
French activist Jean-Baptiste Redde aka Voltuan (centre) holds a sign reading ‘Macron, withdrawal is urgent !’ in front of the AFP building on the Place de la Bourse in Paris during a demonstration called by the “Gilets Jaunes” (Yellow Vests) movement earlier today
Jerome Rodrigues, one of the leading figures of the ‘yellow vests’ (gilets jaunes) movement holds a tissue on one of his eye after he was injured by a police officer in Paris today
Protesters gather on the Place de la Bourse in Paris during a demonstration called by the ‘Gilets Jaunes’ earlier today. Just two driverless metro lines worked normally Friday and five lines were completely shut down. National rail operator SNCF said six out of every 10 high-speed TGV trains were running
New Year’s Eve was also set to be affected with the driverless metro lines 1 and 14 the only ones working into the night, although more night buses were expected to run.
Buses have largely remained running, albeit with a much reduced service, but union activists blocked four Paris bus depots early Friday before being dispersed peacefully by Paris police, the local authorities said.
The unions are demanding the government drops a plan to merge 42 existing pension schemes into a single, points-based system.
The overhaul would see workers in certain sectors – including the railways – lose early-retirement benefits.
The government says the shake-up is needed make the system fairer.
But workers object to the inclusion of a so-called pivot age of 64 until which people would have to work to earn a full pension – two years beyond the official retirement age.
Macron is due to give his traditional New Year address on December 31 and his words will be watched closely for any sign the government is prepared to water down the reform.