Protests against pension reform escalated in France on Tuesday, with clashes between police and hundreds of protesters. Demonstrators clashed with security forces in the city of Nantes, where a bank branch was set on fire and the Administrative Court was targeted.
The tenth day of demonstrations against pension reform in France, on Tuesday, witnessed clashes between the police and hundreds of protesters, in light of the escalation of tension in the country, with the dialogue between the government of President Emmanuel Macron and the unions reaching a dead end.
In Paris, the security forces intervened to disperse a group of vandals after they stormed a grocery store and set fire to a garbage container before the main protest march reached La Nation square, according to Agence France-Presse. Police said they arrested 22 people.
The Paris police headquarters stated that the security forces fired tear gas to "disperse the demonstration" and allow "the fire brigade to intervene" and "facilitate the progress of the march".
Demonstrators clashed with security forces on Tuesday afternoon in the city of Nantes (west), where a bank branch was set on fire and the administrative court was targeted, as well as in the city of Rennes (west), where vandalism took place.
Protests against the amendment proposed by French President Emmanuel Macron, which specifically stipulates raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 years, have worsened since the government adopted the text without a vote in the General Assembly, while motions of no confidence did not lead to the overthrow of the government.
Since then, the demonstrations have witnessed increasing violence, during which police, gendarmerie, rioters, and demonstrators were injured, and public buildings were burned.
On Tuesday, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanan announced the deployment of "13,000 police officers, including 5,500 in Paris," in "unprecedented" reinforcements.
The security forces faced a mobilization that decreased by 20% to 40%, according to the cities. In the capital, the CGT union announced the participation of 450,000 demonstrators, compared to 800,000 on March 23.
For its part, the police said that about 740,000 demonstrators took to the streets in France on Tuesday, including 93,000 in Paris.
Government spokesman Olivier Ferrand confirmed on Tuesday that the government is "a bulwark against illegal violence", rejecting the union's proposal to resort to "mediation".
And the unions called on Tuesday evening for the 11th day of "strike and demonstrations" Thursday, April 6, throughout the country.
"We have the impression that no matter what we do, nothing changes," said Suzanne, 21, a student who spoke to AFP in Lyon (central east).
She added, "They push us to the limits, but they will not succeed in breaking our resolve."
The roadblocks, strikes and demonstrations for several days caused disruptions in fuel supplies in some French regions and on some roads and logistics depots.
'No mediation needed'
In a survey conducted by the Odoxa Group, only 30% of respondents consider Macron a "good" president, down by six percentage points in a month, while 70% of respondents view him negatively.
From Monday, Bourne began a wide-ranging series of consultations over three weeks with MPs, political parties, local officials and, if so desired, social partners.
But unions, who have warned of the protests turning into an out-of-control social movement, do not intend to back down.
And on Tuesday, the secretary-general of the reformist CFDT trade union, Laurent Berger, called on the government to establish a "mediation" in order to "find a way out".
He added, "What the unions are offering today is a calming gesture."
And the Secretary-General of the "CGT" union, Philippe Martinez, announced that the unions "will send a letter to the President of the Republic" to ask him again to "suspend his project," while some left-wing opponents, including the leader of the Communist Party, Fabien Roussel, accuse the French president of "betting on his fading." social movement.
5 times the previous one Germany is preparing to provide massive military aid to Ukraine
The budget committee of the German Bundestag is preparing to approve a significant increase in military aid to Ukraine, and the committee will vote to allocate an additional total of 12 billion euros on top of the 3 billion previously pledged, a source in the lower house told AFP.
A source in the German parliament told AFP on Tuesday that the budget committee of the Bundestag will approve a significant increase in German military aid to Ukraine on Wednesday.
The committee will vote on allocating a total amount of 12 billion euros, which will be distributed simultaneously to providing Kiev with military supplies and to refilling the German army’s stores with weapons and ammunition, after it emptied a large part of this stockpile during the past year to supply Kiev with weapons and ammunition.
And if the committee approves this financing, as is expected, the volume of German aid to Ukraine will jump from the 3 billion pledged so far, to about 15 billion euros, including the sums that will be used to replenish the stores of the German army.
On Wednesday morning, the Ministry of Finance will present to the deputies a number of proposals in this direction.
According to the same source, the German army will be able to benefit from part of these new allocations, starting this year.
Since the start of the Russian attack on Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Germany has engaged in an ambitious policy of rearmament.
A few days after the start of the attack, German Chancellor Olaf Schultz promised to allocate 100 billion euros to bridge the many gaps in the Bundeswehr.
However, this promised money has not yet been released, and the German army is still suffering from the repercussions of the austerity policy that has affected it for years.
Berlin is a major contributor to Kiev's military support.
As part of this support, the German government announced on Monday that it had delivered 18 Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine.
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