France: Pension reform passed by force

France has been on strike for the past two months, with at least one massive strike day a week. In the last few days, it is the Parisian garbage collectors who have been in the news for letting waste pile up in the street. A majority of French people continue to support these social movements, which are destined to last. And for good reason: on Thursday 16th of March, in an electric atmosphere in the National Assembly, the already unpopular government triggered Article 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows them to pass the reform by force, avoiding a vote in Parliament. Demonstrators immediately gathered at the Place de la Concorde in Paris, while opposition parties are preparing a motion of no confidence against the government. A 9th day of mobilisation is already scheduled for 23rd of March.

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