Lille (AFP)
Socialist mayor of Lille Martine Aubry Thursday criticized "reforms that break the social pact", saying that the protesters know that the pension reform desired by the government "will not be a justice reform."
"It's not the technical tool that's important, that's what we want: do we still want to save money on the backs of people, do we want to keep even increase inequalities or do we want a justice reform? ", told the press Ms. Aubry, candidate for his succession and among the thousands of demonstrators in the streets of Lille.
"The real subject is justice in the pension system, the point system, by the way the government uses it, we do not know who will calculate the value of the point, we do not know what will be the point itself. (The government) is breaking that, "added the emblematic number two (1997-2000) of the plural leftist government led by Lionel Jospin.
According to the former Minister of Labor, "all those who are there fear the circle, but they already know that this reform will not be a justice reform".
"Everything we are told is challenged the next day and nothing is certain in what could be positive, but in the negative, there, we see it well," she said. "Today, we are afraid of reforms that break the social pact".
"There is a government, there is a president of the Republic, it is up to them to take their responsibilities.They put France in the street when people are worried," added the mayor of Lille since 2001. And to wonder: "how far are we going to break, finally, all that made the connection between the French?"
Several thousand people (13,000, according to the prefecture of the North) launched at 14:00 in the streets of Lille. Clashes erupted between firefighters and law enforcement officials, AFP journalists said.
"I hope that these demonstrations will be wide, but especially that they will be calm, because it is necessary that the government does not then play violence so that a number of French people are afraid," said Ms. Aubry .
© 2019 AFP