CHANGES HEADLINE, LEDE; UPDATES WITH MORE DETAILS
By Nur Asena Erturk
ANKARA (AA) – Protesters in Paris blocked the entry to Charles de Gaulle Airport, a trade union said Thursday.
The General Labor Confederation (CGT) CDG airport branch on Twitter shared photos and videos of the protest which started early in the morning, against the government's pension reform.
Protesters in the videos can be seen blocking the entry of Terminal 1.
Youth groups and students also mobilized in front of the university buildings in various cities including Lille, Strasbourg, Lyon, and Rennes, blocking entry to the faculties, daily Le Figaro reported.
Trade unions in France launched on Thursday renewed protests against the government's pension reform.
This will be the ninth day of planned mobilization since January, with thousands of workers walking out in various sectors, including transportation, energy, and education.
The rally in Paris will start in the afternoon and protests will be held in other cities as well.
Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin on Tuesday evening said that 12,000 police officers, including 5,000 in Paris, will be deployed during those demonstrations, according to broadcaster BFMTV.
National railway company SNCF and Parisian regional transportation company RATP announced that their services will be largely disrupted, Le Figaro reported.
The French Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGAC) urged airline companies to cancel 30% of their flights at Paris-Orly airport, and 20% of the flights at Marseille-Provence, Toulouse, and Lyon airports, due to the workers' strikes.
- Non-stop demonstrations
The country has been facing non-stop demonstrations since March 16, when President Emmanuel Macron and Prime minister Elisabeth Borne decided to use constitutional powers to adopt the bill without parliamentary consent.
Acts of violence marred most of those impromptu protests, with hundreds arrested during the weekend.
- Macron's speech
President Macron on Wednesday, during an interview with broadcasters France 2 and TF1, did not budge from his decision on the reform, saying that it is a must.
He explained that this bill will pursue its democratic path, and "must enter into force this year."
Those remarks triggered outrage among the opposition parties and trade unions, who criticized the president for arrogance and contempt.
- Pension reform plan, source of popular furor
The French government used special constitutional powers last week to force the plan through, prompting opposing parties to submit no-confidence motions that were later rejected.
Macron and Borne decided to invoke Article 49.3 of the constitution, a mechanism that lets the government adopt a draft bill without parliamentary approval.
The decision was driven by fear that lawmakers would be able to block the reforms as the government does not hold an absolute majority in the legislature.
The government revealed the reform project in January and parliament started examining and debating the draft bill the following month.
Workers and trade unions have since expressed growing outrage by holding demonstrations and walkouts.
The reform project includes raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, requiring at least 43 years of work to be eligible for a full pension.