The protest movement against the pension reform started on January 19 in France will have a tenth day of mobilization Tuesday, March 28. Seized both by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne and by three separate groups of parliamentarians, the Constitutional Council must for its part decide on the text of the law.

Since the government's decision on Thursday, March 16, to use article 49.3 of the Constitution to pass its reform, demonstrations and violence have made the front page of the French press and circulated widely on social networks. Among the most striking images, those of the porch of the town hall of Bordeaux burned, garbage fires sometimes threatening apartment buildings or particularly brutal police charges. The Brav-M, these motorized brigades responsible for maintaining order since 2019, have been the subject of strong criticism for several days.

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The foreign press is not to be outdone and follows day after day the events in France. During the past week, she noted the significant increase in violence. In its March 24 edition, the New York Times reported that the protests are becoming "fiercer and, in some cities, more violent – especially after dark." The daily also notes that the rallies were "less about the fury felt at the raising of the retirement age to 64 instead of 62, and more about Mr. Macron and how he passed the law in parliament without a full vote." He adds that the French president is facing a phenomenon "that is approaching a constitutional crisis".

In another article published the same day, the newspaper wrote that wild demonstrations "have become an essential part of Parisian nightlife" since the use of article 49.3.

The Washington Post reported on March 23 "police violence against protesters," reporting that it "has been the subject of scrutiny as protesters tell online and French media that they have been beaten or detained in recent weeks."

About the ninth day of mobilization, Thursday, the Guardian wrote the same evening: "The crowd was dense and angry with the government and the president, but the atmosphere was also festive and motivated by a show of solidarity (...)." The newspaper notes that the atmosphere quickly deteriorated with the arrival of groups of "casseurs" (in French in the text) "dressed in black and wearing masks". "The national day of action was marred by outbreaks of violence and vandalism," notes the newspaper, which cites the fire on the porch of the city hall of Bordeaux and adds that in Paris "the police and groups of demonstrators clashed until late at night".

For its part, El Pais evokes on March 26 the radicalization, "every day", of the anger against Emmanuel Macron. "Violence – that of the demonstrators and that of the police – has entered this week in the protest against the pension reform," says the Spanish daily.

"The days of strikes and demonstrations have been mostly peaceful for weeks. In recent days, spontaneous demonstrations have become increasingly violent," the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung said in a March 24 article.

Foreign reactions

International institutions and governments are also keeping an eye on what is happening in France. On the European side, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Dunja Mijatovic, was alarmed on Friday 24 March by an "excessive use of force" in the maintenance of order, calling on the France to respect the right to demonstrate.

Thousands of miles away, Iran's foreign minister called on Twitter for the French government "to respect human rights and refrain from using force against the people of his country who peacefully pursue their demands." "We strongly condemn the repression of peaceful demonstrations by the French people," writes Hossein Amir Abdollahian, while his country itself has faced protests since the death last September of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died three days after her arrest by the morality police.

We strongly condemn the repression of peaceful demonstrations by the French people. We call on the French Government to respect human rights and refrain from using force against the people of their country who are peacefully pursuing their demands.

— H.Amirabdollahian امیرعبداللهیان (@Amirabdolahian) March 24, 2023

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