New mass protests against pension reform in France

Thousands of people took to the streets in France to protest against president Emanuel Macron’s prposed controversial pension reform plans.  Police used tear gas and batons against the protesters.
The Paris police chief criticized the “very aggressive” stance of some of the firefighters, who have also been protesting alongside the workers’ unions.
People gathered in Paris, Marseille, Nantes, Rennes, Toulouse and Bordeaux. Since December, the country has been torn by protests, as well as strikes organized by workers’ unions and by the Yellow Vest movement. The protests often turned violent.
The strikes began when Macron announced reforms that would simplify the existing pension system.Under the new rules, the worker will receive a lower pension if they were self-employed for a while, or had health issues that prevented them from working for some period.
Earlier this month, the government offered a compromise with workers’ unions, saying that it would “provisionally” withdraw plans to increase workers’ retirement age of 64, two years more the official retirement age. However, unions were not happy, as the offer only extends to those retiring in the next seven years, which means the “pivot age” system could still be implemented for people retiring after 2027.