This week, voice.wales is reporting on the huge movement against Macron’s pension reforms, with reporter Mark Redfern on the ground in Paris
An activist and university lecturer in Paris described how resistance had intensified following the passing of the law last week.
He said that the political tension was at its highest as the state unleashed a crackdown on strikers and protesters.
By SC Cook and Mark Redfern. Cover image, a bin burns during a protest in Paris on Tuesday, by Mark Redfern
A left activist and university lecturer in Paris has spoken to voice.wales about the strikes and protests that have swept the country against Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms.
The move to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 has led millions taking to the streets in all corners of France.
Edouard Soulier, a leading member of left party the NPA, said that one of the most surprising things about the current situation is that the movement had intensified in spite of Macron passing the new pensions law by presidential decree last week.
“He [Macron] had no majority,” Edouard said, explaining that the French president could not even rely on right-wing politicians to back the reforms due to the size of the protests.
“Even the most rightwing figures had so much pressure due to the movement, that [Macron] had to enforce it using this provision from the constitution.”
This triggered a new situation, Edouard said.
“Before there was a huge movement, but [it was] very routine and very union-led and not very political, focussed mostly on the pensions.”
But this all changed when Macron invoked presidential powers to force the changes through.
“it triggered events that turned these strikes into a political movement against his government.”
“Normally when you have a fight and the law is passed, usually the unions say, ‘okay we lost’ and that’s what we expected [to happen],” Edouard explains.
“But actually the use of the provision triggered a new wave – so [Thursday] for example, there will be a huge huge demonstration and since then [last week] there have been spontaneous demonstrations.”
“Mostly young people on the streets in Paris, Marseille, Nantes, very big cities where they are roaming the streets every night against Macron, which is very new.”
Edouard explained the level of state repression that this had unleashed against the protests.
“They [the police] arrest around 100 – 200 people a day which is huge. There is tons of violence. So the tension is almost at its highest right now.”
He says the stakes “are way higher than it was just last week.”
On Wednesday, Macron delivered a speech where he claimed to have more legitimacy than the rebellion sweeping the country.
“It triggered a lot of anger,” says Edouard, “It crystallised this anger and now it now becomes very political.”
“We are in a situation now where nobody knows what’s going to happen because we are on the edge of the cliff and you can go either way.”
He says if the movement suffers a big defeat “this would be a big win for the fascists” but if Macron caves then all his reforms for the next four years will be in jeopardy at the hands of workers.
Describing the huge strikes that have been a key feature of the rebellion, Edouard said that a turning point came last October when oil refinery workers went on strike, angry with a 6% pay offer as energy giants Total and Exon made huge profits.
“They went on strike for four, five weeks which had a huge impact in October, because there was a shortage of gas for cars. So that was quite new in the landscape of strikes, usually it doesn’t last that long and it’s not that strong.”
Oil refinery workers have also been on strike in recent months and more gas shortages are expected next week.
Edouard explains that another key strike has been that of refuse workers “which is not uncommon in France, but is very uncommon in Paris.”
But despite this, the French capital has seen bins pile up as refuse workers picket their garages and try to stop the police bringing in scab labour.
“There is a law in France where they can make you work for some key industries and they actually did this for garbage,” he explains. “So you have this truck and the workers are behind the truck and they are surrounded by cops and they have to move and pick up the garbage.”
Both oil refinery workers and refuse workers are particularly incensed by the reforms because their life expectancy is lower than average.
“If you raise the retirement age by 2 years basically, there is a probability you will end up dead by that time,” Edouard explains.
“So there’s a real anger of being robbed of these two years.”
On top of this, there have been strikes by electricians, “where they cut the power of some parliament MPs and stuff.”
But Edoaurd was keen to stress that the walkouts are not yet at the level of a general strike, though he says that Thursday (23rd March) will “be a huge strike.”
“We expect that most of the schools will be closed, which is very rare…so it will be a very big strike day.”
“I think everyone was thinking we lost, but it actually triggered a new wave. We don’t know what will happen.”
