Saturday, March 11 was a day to remember. The slogan “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité”, on which France prides itself, turned out to be empty words. The much-vaunted expression was trampled and obliterated as the forces of order resorted to violence to silence the legitimate demands of their countrymen.
For those who were not following the unrest rocking France over the past weeks here is an update: the French government had decided to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 as part of a controversial pension reform plan.
The decision sparked outrage and infuriated trade unions which vowed to oppose the bill by bringing the country’s vital sectors to a standstill. No sooner said than done, and all hell broke loose. Major unions, such as CGT, CFDT, FO, CFTC, FSU.., brought crowds of unhappy protesters to the streets.
The movement paralyzed pivotal sectors as transportation, energy and industry. Workers from all walks of life joined hands to make the government scrap the pension plan. Even workers in trash pickup services joined the movement, leaving Paris and other large cities littered with garbage.
Despite everything, the French senate voted in favor of the unpopular retirement law, triggering more strikes and protests and marking an unprecedented escalation in the social movement.
Unfortunately, all demos were repressed violently by law-enforcement officers and forces of order. Many internet and social media users noticed that this brutality reached its peak on Saturday as policemen used batons and fists, kicking and punching protesters to force the crowds back.
Saturday was the seventh day of ongoing, mass rallies that ended with clashes with cops. Unions are continuing this arm-twisting confrontation, in an attempt to make the government back down on the law set to get the final vote at the senate and the national assembly this month.