In the wake of Elisabeth Borne's appeal to article 49.3 of the Constitution, which allows the adoption of a text without a vote, except motion of censure, the inter-union called Thursday for rallies this weekend, as well as a 9th day of strikes and demonstrations on March 23.

At least two refineries, that of PetroIneos in Lavéra (Bouches-du-Rhône) and the Normandy refinery of TotalEnergies in Gonfreville-l'Orcher (Manche), could be shut down, no later than Monday, according to the CGT. Until now, the strikers had been content to block fuel shipments, but refineries continued to produce.

Asked about a risk of fuel shortages, the minister replied on France News: "We showed in the autumn that we knew how to take our responsibilities again, we will take them", in reference to the requisitions then taken to unblock oil sites during strikes for wages.

He said such measures were "being deployed" with Parisian garbage collectors. In the capital, 10,000 tons of garbage are still piled up on the sidewalks, according to the town hall.

Rallies are planned throughout the weekend, in the capital and in the region, at the call of regional unions of unions, including the CGT, or various organizations: Place d'Italie in Paris at 18:00, in Montpellier, Marseille, Brest, Toulon etc.

"Being able to enjoy it"

Not to mention spontaneous gatherings.

Garbage cans not collected on the sidewalks of Paris, March 17, 2023 © Bertrand GUAY / AFP

Thus, on Thursday and Friday evening, thousands of people gathered at Place de la Concorde in Paris, a few hundred meters from the National Assembly and the Elysee. The opposition to the reform took a more radical turn on Friday night, carried by young activists tired of the weekly processions and ready to fight.

Hundreds of people clashed with police in small groups, throwing projectiles. The square was completely evacuated around 21:30 p.m. According to the police headquarters, 61 people were arrested.

Governments: longevity and use of 49.3 © Sabrina BLANCHARD / AFP

In Lyon, the town hall of the 4th arrondissement was targeted, still Friday night, during a rally that gave rise to several degradations in the city center. Police arrested 36 people, according to the prefecture.

Other demonstrations were peaceful. In Lille, for example, Muriel and Dany Bruneau, a housekeeper and truck driver, demonstrated for the first time against this reform, arm in arm.

"We don't have the impression that it's no longer a democracy, we wonder what MPs are for," said Muriel, 56. "I see in Belgium the guys who get in their truck at 68, they can't load them anymore. It raises security issues. I don't see myself like that," Dany added. The couple "knows" that they will not have "a mirobolant retirement" but they "would like to be able to enjoy it".

The motions of censure, tabled by the independent group Liot and by elected representatives of the National Rally (RN) will be debated and put to the vote of the National Assembly Monday from 16:00, a conference of presidents of the institution to give shortly before its final green light to the unfolding, we learned from parliamentary sources.

The motion tabled by the small group Libertés, Indépendants Outre-mer et Territoires (Liot) is "transpartisan" and co-signed by elected representatives of the Nupes. The latter is more likely to be voted by right-wing MPs unfavourable to the pension reform than that of the RN. But the bar of the absolute majority to bring down the government seems difficult to achieve.

© 2023 AFP