• France: the Eiffel Tower for pensions strikes closed today
  • In Paris another strike against pension reform: procession to Place de la Concorde
  • Clashes in Paris, the government suspends the reform of the retirement age

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By Tiziana Di Giovannandrea January 24, 2020 The protest across France against the pension reform wanted by President Emmanuel Macron, especially against the 'age of equilibrium', has not stopped.

The French President denounced vibrations during the Council of Ministers meeting in Paris on the theme of the pension reform: "The acts of violence and the radicality of some blocs" in the framework of the protests against the new pensions he wanted. Macron also called for "greater firmness" towards the perpetrators of the protests. "Hatred, intimidation towards others, on the pretext of differences, be they political or union, can never be acceptable," stressed the French president.

Today's day, the 51st consecutive day, of firm and firm protests saw new mobilizations and strikes across the country.

In Paris, the procession started from the Place de la République to arrive at the Place de la Concorde. according to the CGT union, Confédération Générale du Travail, the demonstrators who took to the streets against the pension reform would be between 350,000 and 400,000. Down on the first demonstrations of last December. Also present was the leader of the CGT, Philippe Martinez , one of the strongest opponents of the new pensions, who commented: "Everyone has understood one thing: that we will work longer". In the rest of France there is talk of protests in 40 cities with over 100 thousand demonstrators between Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, Le Havre, Nantes, Toulouse, Clermont-Ferrand, Rennes and Caen in Normandy.

In the meantime, as regards the highly contested ' equilibrium age ', Minister Agnès Buzyn , responsible for Solidarity and Health, specified that she remains in the reform but Macron renounced applying it in 2022 even if the measure remains registered in the draft law adopted by the 'Executive.

The Council of Ministers has adopted two bills: the organic and the ordinary. The introduction of a 'universal points system' is envisaged which will gradually replace the 42 existing social security systems. The word now passes to the National Assembly which will begin the examination of the text on February 17 and then move on to a first vote scheduled for the following month.