Paris burned with anger on Thursday over President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to raise the nation’s retirement age from 62 to 64.
With a constitutional ruling on the proposal due Friday, more than 40,000 demonstrators took to the streets in Paris with almost 350,000 more protesting around the country, according to French government estimates, CNN reported.
In Paris, agitators stormed the headquarters of LVMH, which owns brands such as Louis Vuitton and Moët.
“If Macron wants to find money to finance the pension system, he should come here to find it,” union leader Fabien Villedieu said outside the LVMH building.
Tear gas filled the streets of Paris amid clashes between protesters and police.
In one incident, a police officer’s uniform was partially set on fire by what appeared to be an explosive device.
A police officer’s uniform is partially set on fire amidst violent clashes between the crowd and police here in Paris pic.twitter.com/u39Ty6sIhU
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) April 13, 2023
Strikes in France are not abating: Activists occupied the building of the “Moe Annecy Louis Vuitton” group
Several hundred French railway workers and trade unionists, protesting against the pension reform, occupied the building of the LVMH group in Paris pic.twitter.com/mbgE1FUofY— Spriter (@Spriter99880) April 13, 2023
Violent clashes between the crowd and police, with punches thrown on both sides. Rounds of teargas being deployed at Place de la Bastille in Paris pic.twitter.com/002HehsaUc
— Brendan Gutenschwager (@BGOnTheScene) April 13, 2023
“At least a thousand radical individuals present at the forefront of the demonstration area tried on several occasions to commit acts of violence along the route and to hinder the smooth progress of the demonstration,” a police representative said.
Forty-seven people were arrested and at least 10 police officers were injured, according to CNN.
🔴 Manifestation dans la Gare de Lyon : des dizaines de cheminots prennent les transports pour mener une action médiatique dans #Paris. #greve13avril pic.twitter.com/NS22jejmUT
— Clément Lanot (@ClementLanot) April 13, 2023
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo voiced her support for the protesters.
“On the eve of the decision of the Constitutional Council, I again bring my support to the mobilization which is expressed in Paris and everywhere in France,” she tweeted. “This reform is unjust and violent. The French have been asking for its withdrawal for months, the government must hear it.”
