• 9:06 a.m.: "We have a vocation to continue governing," says Olivier Véran

Olivier Véran, spokesman for the government, said that the latter was "intended to continue to govern", after the use Thursday of 49.3 to pass the contested pension reform.

"There will be a vote," the minister assured France Inter, referring to the motions of censure that will be tabled Friday by the opposition. "The 49.3 is also a moment of loss of control by the government," he analyzed, "it is a moment when the National Assembly is totally sovereign to decide to grant you confidence or to withdraw it from you so there is no alternative to the vote of the deputies."

On the future of Elisabeth Borne at Matignon, he said he had "confidence" in her, "but my opinion does not count". "The choice of the Prime Minister's method, which is that of consultation and the search for compromise, etc., it is still a choice that has borne fruit in other texts," he said.

>> Read also: "Pensions: the 49.3, a 'hard blow to the leadership' of Emmanuel Macron"

  • 8:54 a.m.: 310 arrests Thursday in France

A total of 310 people were arrested Thursday in France, including 258 in Paris during demonstrations against the government's use of 49.3 for the adoption of the pension reform, announced Gerald Darmanin.

"The opposition is legitimate, the demonstrations are legitimate, the brothel or the border, no," continued on RTL the Minister of the Interior, evoking "very difficult demonstrations" and denouncing "burned effigies" in Dijon and prefectures targeted at the end of the day. "The squares of churches and villages are not ZAD!" he said, adding that the government "will not let it happen (...) spontaneous demonstrations and anything at any time."

In Paris, "at the peak" of the evening, 10,000 people were gathered at Place de la Concorde, according to Gérald Darmanin. In 24 other cities, 52,000 people took part in protests, according to a police tally.

  • 8:51 am: the use of 49.3 "is not a failure", says Olivier Dussopt

Labour Minister Olivier Dussopt denied that the use of article 49.3 the day before to pass the pension reform was a "failure".

"It would be a failure if there was no text, but there is a text", "it is not a failure", said the minister on BFMTV. He added that he would have preferred there to be a vote, sought by the executive "until the last minute".

  • 8:39 am: the TotalEnergies refinery in Normandy "will be shut down" this weekend, according to the CGT

The TotalEnergies refinery in Normandy, where employees are on strike but where shipments continue, "will be stopped" from this weekend, told AFP Eric Sellini, CGT coordinator within the oil group.

"The employees have raised the tone" and "the main units will begin to stop from tomorrow" so that "normally, the refinery will be stopped this weekend or Monday at the latest," he detailed, the day after the use of article 49.3 to adopt the pension reform.

  • 8:27 am: CGT action on the Paris ring road, traffic temporarily disrupted

About 200 demonstrators, gathered at the call of the regional union of Île-de-France of the CGT, disrupted for about half an hour traffic on the Paris ring road in the morning, during an action to protest against the pension reform and the 49.3.

The demonstrators ran down the tracks around 7:30 a.m. at the Porte de Clignancourt, with smoke bombs, and blocked traffic on the inner ring road, before heading in procession to the Porte de la Chapelle, forcing motorists to drive at pace.

Among them were many EDF agents, who unfurled a banner bearing the company's image. Many wore chasubles or fluorescent vests and sang "We are here, we are here", "The 49.3, we do not want it", "Strike, blockage, Macron clear" or "Retirement at 60, we fought to win it, we will fight to keep it".

  • 8:08 am: The rebellious France will support the motion of censure of the group of independents in the Assembly

Jean-Luc Mélenchon announced that the group La France insoumise (LFI) would support the motion of censure of the group of independents (Liot) in the National Assembly in order to "give the greatest possible chances to the censure" of the government of Elisabeth Borne after the use of article 49.3 of the Constitution.

The left-wing coalition New Ecological and Social People's Union (Nupes), including LFI, was considering tabling a motion of censure but its leaders explained in recent days that a motion by Liot would be more likely to be voted by those right-wing MPs who are against the pension reform.

"We have decided to give the greatest possible chances to censorship, and therefore to withdraw our motion of censure in favor of that of Liot," Jean-Luc Mélenchon told France Inter. Voting for the motion of censure "means nothing other than the rejection of the pension reform", "those who do not vote the motion of censure are for the reform", he warned.

The former presidential candidate also "encouraged" "spontaneous mobilizations throughout the country" because "this is where it happens", while calling to demonstrate also at the call of the inter-union during the weekend and next Thursday.

With AFP and Reuters

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