Hundreds arrested after riots in France over retirement plans

In France, people took to the streets in droves yesterday to express their dissatisfaction. In Paris, demonstrators set up barricades and set them on fire.

In Paris, police fired rubber bullets, tear gas and water cannons on the Place de la Concorde, where thousands of protesters gathered. In the end, 217 people were arrested, after midnight peace was restored.

Watch the massive demonstrations in Paris here:

Yesterday morning, the French Senate (upper house) voted in favor of a proposal to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. Parliament is also expected to vote on the measure later today. But before the start of the scheduled meeting in Parliament, the cabinet held a meeting, and French Prime Minister Elisabeth Born decided to skip the vote.

This was done by publishing an article of the constitution that was marginalizing Parliament. It made for a wonderful scene. Left MPs protested and started chanting, as you can see in this video:

An important part of President Macron’s plans is to raise the retirement age in France from 62 to 64. There is strong opposition from trade unions. There have been regular strikes in recent months.

Critics see the constitutional article in question as undemocratic. In France, however, this is not the first time the article has been used: it has happened a hundred times in French history.

Lyon, Marseille and Toulouse

Not only in Paris, but also in the French cities of Lyon, Marseille, Toulouse, Dijon, Lille and Nantes, it was a turmoil last night. In Lille, two protesters were hospitalized with injuries. in Rennes bus shelters and had to be paid for by an estate agency.

Demonstrations have been held in France against retirement plans since the beginning of this year. Nationwide workdays, including public transportation strikes, drew millions of people.