France is witnessing a new wave of protests and strikes across the country today, following some of the worst street violence seen in years that overshadowed marches last week. The protests against President Emmanuel Macron's plans to delay the retirement age by two years to 64 have so far remained largely peaceful. However, anger has escalated since the government pushed the bill through Parliament without a vote in mid-March, with polls indicating that the situation worsened after footage of police violence was released.
Demonstrators from the "Black Bloc" group broke shop windows, destroyed bus stations, and looted a branch of the McDonald's restaurant chain in Paris during the latest day of protests that swept France. Other cities also witnessed similar violence. Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin warned yesterday of "very real risks" of further violence erupting today in the capital and beyond. About 13,000 police officers will be deployed during the marches, with less than half of them in Paris.
The French minister stated in a press conference that far-left groups want to "burn France," and that some of them have come from abroad. Police advised shop owners along the protest routes to close today. Train services and flights will be disrupted, and some schools will close, similar to what occurred on previous strike days since mid-January. Six out of seven refineries in France were either closed or operating at reduced capacity yesterday, and natural gas ports were also closed.
