"64 is no!": the Arc de Triomphe occupied by demonstrators against the pension reform

Europe1 .fr with AFP 14:35 pm, April 05, 2023

The Arc de Triomphe was closed to the public for about an hour on Wednesday and blocked by employees of the cultural sector protesting against the pension reform, we learned from concordant sources. "The monument reopened at 12:00 p.m.," the center of national monuments said.

The employees, gathered at the call of the CGT culture and entertainment, installed a large banner at the top of the building, located Place de l'Etoile in Paris, on which one could read in black capital letters: "64 is no!", in reference to the retirement age provided for by the reform.

Live from the Arc de Triomphe: the striking and mobilized Culture and Entertainment agents unfurl a banner. 64 years is a no! We will go all the way for retirement at 60! #ArcDeTriomphe#Greve6Avril#Manif6Avril#ReformeDesRetraitespic.twitter.com/h9LL1tjyVL

— CGT BnF (@CgtBnf) April 5, 2023

"Go as far as withdrawal of the project"

"At a time when the trade unions are received at Matignon, the CGT-Culture and the CGT-Spectacle have chosen to reaffirm their willingness to go as far as the withdrawal of the pension reform project," the union said in a statement, with photos of this action. This "is part of the struggles led by all workers, strikers and youth for a dignified life and against the passage in force of Emmanuel Macron and his government," adds the text.

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The meeting between Elisabeth Borne and the inter-union ended Wednesday morning in a "failure" according to the unions, which point to the refusal of the Prime Minister to withdraw the contested reform. A new day of mobilization is planned Thursday to demand the withdrawal of the bill, adopted in parliament after an appeal to 49.3, and being examined by the Constitutional Council.