Paris: Damage from Protests Estimated at 1.6 Million Euros

The French newspaper "Parisien" reported that "the damage to infrastructure in Paris during the protests against pension reform is estimated at around 1.6 million euros." City Deputy Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire stated that "this amount only includes damage to public facilities and buildings in the city and does not take into account the cost of repairing destruction in private company offices." The newspaper noted that "Paris authorities spent 538,000 euros on street cleaning after the protests, which forced them to call in cleaning workers after hours and pay for their overtime. Additionally, 106,000 euros were spent on repairing flower beds, fences, bus stops, and bank windows. However, the most expensive items destroyed by protesters were illuminated billboards and newsstands, for which 836,000 euros have been allocated for repairs." It is expected that French cities will witness over 300 demonstrations on May 1, with participation ranging between 500,000 and 650,000 people, including between 80,000 and 100,000 in the French capital.