150,000 protesters take to the streets again in France to protest against the pension reform

150,000 people, a good part of them young voters of the Unsubmissive France (LFI)have protested this Saturday in Paris in which it supposes the second big rally in two days against pension reform which seeks to extend the minimum retirement age for 62 to 64 years.

After the union day of mobilization on Thursday 19, which included a strike supported by a large part of the public sector, a dozen student and youth organizations from some left-wing parties organized “The march in favor of our retirement”.

From the Place de la Bastille to the Place de la Nation, thousands of protesters have shown their repudiation of the reform promoted by the French president, Emmanuel Macronwho justifies the extension of the retirement age as a measure to correct the social security deficit in an increasingly aging country (21% of the French are 65 or older).

This protest, sponsored by the LFI of Jean Luc Melenchon -the third parliamentary party in France-, happens two days before the Minister council of France approves the bill, which will then have to be discussed in the french assemblywhere Macron’s party – without an absolute majority – counts, in principle, on the center right to approve the norm.

“Macron has declared war on us”, “Macron, get annoyed, we young people have taken to the streets” were some of the slogans chanted by the protesters, who also criticized the media for their supposed complacency with the reform.

The goal of this act is to increase social pressure and achieve something similar to what happened in 1995, when a pension reform bill with the conservative president Jacques Chirac was withdrawn due to intense pressure from the street, even despite the absolute government majority in Parliament.

In addition to increasing the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, the proposal contemplates bringing forward the increase from 42 to 43 years of contribution to 2027 in order to enjoy full retirement (until now planned for 2035).

The Government insists that its proposal takes into account those who began working before the age of 20 and also those who for medical reasons have to retire before the age of 64.

For this reason, it ensures that 40% of future pensioners will be able to retire before the age of 64.

The demonstration last Thursday, January 19, brought together more than 2 million people, according to the unions, and 1.12 million according to the Police, it was felt throughout France, only in Paris 80,000 people demonstrated.