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On the front page: a "massive" strike in France against pension reform

The press is unanimous. Between 800,000 and 1.5 million demonstrators throughout the country ... " Needless to quibble on the wide range of figures, slice the newspaper La Charente Libre, the national mobilization against the pension reform project has been massive .

West France ? The mobilization was " massive ".

Humanity ? The strikes were " massive ".

The Courrier Picard ? This first day of mobilization against the pension reform was a "great success ", the " warning shot " took.

The cross ? The mobilization was " strong ".

Even Le Figaro agrees: the mobilization was " massive ", admits this newspaper.

" It's going strong," says Libération, "the gain" of the day yesterday is to the unions. "

Oh, of course, it was not a " tsunami ", but the strike of December 5, 2019 will remain " in the annals ", states Le Midi Libre, the unions have " succeeded their coup ".

So that's for the overall impression. The following ? Issues of concern diverge. First, there are the newspapers that do the accounts. Like Le Figaro for example. The conservative daily, "in one", already worries about the " bill " of this pension reform that may be " salty " because of what Le Figaro calls the " consolation lots " that the government has already began distributing " to each other " to " mine all over the place ".

Then there are those who are wondering about the political lessons to be learned from Thursday. Like the newspaper La Croix, which notes that, beyond transport, the strike also affected the public service, " in particular education ", but also the energy sector and, in the demonstrations, it was noted " the presence professions ". So ? So the Catholic daily wonders what needs to be done now, and La Croix advocates a " social pact on pensions ."

Or like Liberation, which emphasizes that some demonstrators " leave aside the reform and target Macron, his speeches, his style, his politics, his person, as if the lawsuit filed from the beginning - the " president of the rich " - n 'did not finish being educated '. Then Libé warns against " the risk of this kind of situation when it is prolonged: as rational as it is, the governmental verb becomes inaudible ". And without waiting, this newspaper agitates " the specter of 1995 ".

Should we hold? Give in?

That year, in fact, the strikes, which had lasted nearly three weeks, had caused the Juppé government to bend. " Right in his boots ", Alain Juppé, Prime Minister of the time, had to yield to the demonstrators descended by millions in the streets of France.

Will it be the same in 2019? In any case, notes Les Echos, " the arm wrestling takes place ". Which daily economic warns of a new " black day " in transport today. Waiting for the following ...

And so, stresses L'Est Républicain, for the executive, it is " clear ", it is necessary to prevent discontent from " coagulating ", it is necessary to block the road to the " famous " convergence of the struggles, even if, according to this daily newspaper from the east of France, it seems illusory to try " to extinguish a fire with a watering can ".

So what will the government do? Admittedly, this strike was a " success ", admits the newspaper L'Opinion , but a success " very relative ", and we now know the " balance of power, " said the newspaper, inviting the government to " hold " .

In summary, states the newspaper La Montagne, in view of the strong mobilization of December 5, trade unions have obviously " won the first round " of the standoff they have engaged with the government. This does not bode well for the outcome of this conflict, which is expected to last at least until the middle of next week. The executive knows he will walk on eggs.

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