The pension reform package, which included the gradual raising of the retirement age in France from 62 to 64, caused great protests across the country and passed the French Senate. The package, which was put to the vote yesterday, was accepted in the Senate with 195 votes to 112.
Tension Rises Again: 32 People Arrested
Although French Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne said she believes the government has the necessary majority to pass the reform package through parliament, tensions in the country have not subsided. Tensions rose again on election night.
As the demonstrators poured into the streets, burned trash cans and smashed windows, clashes broke out between the security forces and the demonstrators, and it was announced that 32 people were arrested.
Paris Streets Are Covered With Trash
Demonstrations continued in different cities of France today, as French unions called for nationwide protests to keep the pressure on the government and parliament.
On the other hand, the presence of garbage workers among the business circles that have been on strike for days left Paris, the capital of France, in a big pile of garbage.
5,400 Tons of Garbage Waiting to be Collected in Paris
While it is seen that even the landmarks of Paris are among the garbage heaps in the photographs taken by international agencies, the Municipality of Paris announced that approximately 5,400 tons of garbage is waiting to be collected on the streets of the capital.
The spokesperson of the municipality emphasized that the problem was caused by the congestion in the incinerators due to the strikes, and the garbage trucks became inoperable because they could not find a place to put the waste they collected.
The Streets Smell of Garbage, Macron Is Not Backing Down
In Paris, a popular destination for tourists all over the world, the trash cans on the streets are jam-packed, and in the comments made on social media, people say that the streets smell of garbage.
In the face of the ongoing protests and the deplorable state of the streets of Paris, the President of France
Emmanuel Macron refused union requests to meet with him.
In the news in the foreign press, the headline "Neither the protests nor the garbage heaps could stop the French pension law" was made and it was stated that the government had no intention of taking a step back.