France bans anti-government protests near parliament amid growing unrest

France has banned gatherings opposite parliament and on the Champs-Elysées after a second night of unrest sparked by the government's decision to impose an unpopular pension overhaul without a parliamentary vote. 

A protester holds a cut-out depicting President Macron near a fire during a demonstration on Place de la Concorde on 17 March, 2023. REUTERS - GONZALO FUENTES

Paris police banned protests on Saturday at Place de la Concorde and the Champs-Elysées near the National Assembly parliament building, after two evenings of clashes between demonstrators and riot police.

It said it was doing so "due to serious risks of disturbances to public order".

On Friday night, a fire was lit at the square and groups of people threw bottles and fireworks at security forces.

Police used teargas to try and clear the area. Sixty-one people were arrested, according to the police.

In the southeastern city of Lyon, demonstrators tried to break into a town hall and set fire to the building; 36 arrests were made.

A protestor in Nantes holds an umbrella to protect from teargas during a demonstration against the government's proposed pensions overhaul. AFP - LOIC VENANCE

On Saturday, peeaceful marches got underway in other parts of the country after unions called for a weekend of protests.

'Denial of democracy'

France has seen eight days of nationwide protests and strike action since mid-January over a pension reform bill that would see the retirement age raised from 62 to 64 and an increase in the length of contributions.

The government says this is essential to ensure the pension system survives.

The unions do not agree, and polls show the vast majority of the French are also opposed.

While protests have been largely peaceful up to now, anger has boiled over after the government on Thursday triggered article 49.3 of the constitution to push the bill through without a parliamentary vote.

• France's Macron forces pension reform through parliament by decree

More than eight out of 10 people are unhappy with that decision, and 65 percent want strikes and protests to continue, a Toluna Harris Interactive poll for RTL radio showed.

Going ahead without a vote “is a denial of democracy ... a total denial of what has been happening in the streets for several weeks”, said Nathalie Alquier, a 52-year-old psychologist in Paris. “It’s just unbearable.”

Continued mobilisation

The recent unrest is reminiscent of the gilets jaunes (yellow vest) protests in late 2018 over high fuel prices, which forced President Macron into a partial U-turn on a carbon tax. 

A broad alliance of all of France's labour unions said they would continue their mobilisation and try to force a similar U-turn on the pension reform bill.

A ninth day of nationwide industrial action is scheduled for Thursday.

The capital's municipal rubbish collectors have kept up a rolling strike, leaving an estimated 10,000 tonnes of trash festering in the streets of Paris. The Paris chief of police has ordered refuse collectors to be requisitioned after Paris's mayor said it was up to the government to sort out the reasons for the industrial action.

• Bin collectors' strike seeks to thwart French pension reform

A union representative on Saturday said that strikers would halt production at two incinerators outside paris would let some lorries through "to limit the risk of an epidemic".

Rubbish piles up in Paris's usually chic 6th district as refuse collectors continue strike action in protest over Macron's pension reform which would push back the retirement age by two years. © RFI/Horton

In the energy sector, the hard-left CGT union said strikers would halt production at two refineries by this weekend or Monday at the latest.

Some rail workers and air traffic controllers are also continuing strike action, leading to planes and trains being cancelled over the weekend and on Monday.

Teachers’ unions called for strikes next week, which could disrupt the baccalaureate secondary school exams.

No confidence motions

Opposition lawmakers have filed two motions of no confidence in the government, to be debated in parliament on Monday.

They hope to garner enough support to topple the cabinet and repeal the pension reform law.

But while Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne may be fragilised, her cabinet is expected to survive the vote.

• French PM Borne to carry on despite show of force over pension reform

For the no-confidence motion to pass, it would need the backing of a majority of MPs (287) – that means half of the conservative Republicans (LR) that negotiated with the government on the final text.

While some have said they could break ranks, it looks unlikely that as many as half would vote alongside the hard left and far right parties, and against the government.