On Thursday, 16 March 2023, French President Emmanuel Macron used a special executive measure to push a controversial pension reform through parliament, creating political uncertainty in France. The prime minister triggered Article 49.3 of the French constitution, allowing the government to pass a bill without a vote, which permits the opposition to respond with a no-confidence motion.
This action has left Macron in a weakened position and created anxiety in the country, as the opposition is bracing for a no-confidence vote and unions are threatening more strikes. Macron’s reputation as an economic reformer depended on his ability to make the French work longer by raising the official retirement age from 62 to 64. The far-left NUPES alliance, unions, and the opposition have opposed this reform. The country now awaits a vote on the no-confidence motion that will be tabled by Friday, leaving France in a state of heightened political anxiety over the weekend. Macron may have taken the safe option, but there’s no guarantee it will bring him any peace.
Tensions have erupted in several cities across the country, as thousands of people gathered after the government’s use of Article 49.3 to push through its pension reform. While things went relatively smoothly in many communities, tensions flared elsewhere.
This was the case in Paris, on the Place de la Concorde, where law enforcement intervened in the early evening and is still attempting to disperse the crowd. According to the police prefecture, they took action, including using water cannons, after an attempt to vandalize the Obelisk construction site in the center of the square. These interventions caused significant crowd movements in the square.
INCIDENTS IN MARSEILLE, AMIENS, DIJON, AND CAEN
Incidents also broke out in other cities such as Marseille on the Canebière, where masked youths smashed the window of a bank branch and a billboard while others set fire to garbage cans shouting “down with the state, cops, and employers,” an AFP journalist reported.
