After French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to force a bill raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 through parliament, deciding to invoke the constitutional special power, protests across the country continued, from Rennes and Nantes in eastern France to Lyon and the southern port city of Marseille. Thousands gathered in protest Thursday at the Place de la Concorde. Sanitation workers blocked a waste collection plant that is home to Europe’s largest incinerator. Protesters briefly blocked Paris’ ring road on Friday morning.
Cars were torched in Paris and other French cities. At least 310 people have been detained across France after clashes with police. Labor leaders in France called for more protests. Opposition parties were expected to start on Friday procedures for a no-confidence vote on the government. However, Macron’s alliance has the most seats in the National Assembly, where a no-confidence motion also requires majority support. The yellow vest activists called on the president’s opponents to march on the parliament at 18:00 (17:00GMT ) on Friday. Other new protests were planned for the weekend.
