The city of Bordeaux, in France, has been the scene of violent acts during demonstrations against the pension reform promoted by President Macron. On this occasion, the entrance of the City Hall was burned by protesters, leading to the call for a new day of protests by the unions next Tuesday, March 28, the tenth to date.
Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin released the number of arrests following the riots that took place in France during the ninth day of protests: a total of 457 arrests, including 441 injured officers. The minister pointed to the extreme left as responsible for the acts of violence that took place on the fringes of the marches organized by the unions and denounced the rise of violence in the streets.
Darmanin appreciated the civility of the workers’ organizers and acknowledged that most of the demonstrators were peaceful. However, he denounced attacks on public buildings such as the police station in Lorient, the Bordeaux City Hall, and several stores in Paris. In addition, 140 fires were reported in the capital, many of them taking advantage of street furniture or mountains of garbage that accumulated in the streets after a two-week garbage collection strike.
The Interior Minister said police believe there were around 1,200 violent demonstrators in Paris, many of them identified as far-left activists, mostly young people. On the other hand, French unions have announced that they do not plan to stop the protest and have called for a new day of demonstration for March 28, appealing to “local” acts during the weekend. The protest against the pension reform has regained momentum, but has been marred by various acts of vandalism and violence provoked by groups of masked individuals.