Foreign
POLICE in Paris reportedly arrested 142 people in the French capital overnight during street protests that followed the finalisation of the government’s pensions reforms.
BFMTV broadcaster said 11 police officers were injured, citing police sources.
Demonstrations also broke out in other cities including Saint-Étienne, Strasbourg, Amiens, Caen, and Toulouse, media reports said.
President Emmanuel Macron plans to meet Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and the leaders of various political groups on Tuesday in order to tackle the fallout from the political developments the previous day.
The government on Monday survived two no-confidence votes that were triggered by its decision to force through the highly-debated legislation without a vote in the lower house of parliament.
About 2,000 police officers were deployed in Paris alone to tackle the unrest, BFMTV reported.
Some demonstrators set fire to trash cans and carried placards calling on Macron to resign or threatening to take arms against the government.
Politicians from both the right and the left have called for Borne to resign.
The reform to gradually raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 was passed on Monday evening after the rejection of two motions of no confidence tabled by the opposition.
The outcome of Monday’s votes was however narrower than expected by many, in what was seen as a blow to the government. (dpa/NAN)
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Tags: President Emmanuel Macron
