Protesters in France Block The Entrance to Paris Airport
Protesters in France block the entrance to Paris Airport
Opponents of the controversial pension reform in France have blocked the entrance to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport.
Opponents of the controversial pension reform in France have blocked the entrance to Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG) Airport. Reaction to reform in Paris Demonstrators took to the streets to block the entrance to Charles de Gaulle Airport in Roissy. General Workers’ Union CDG branch announced on its Twitter account that unionized workers closed the road to Terminal 1 of the airport as of 10:00 am. Students in Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Roubaix and Nanterre protested at several universities. While 50 percent of teachers in the country participated in the strikes, students in more than 40 high schools in and around Paris began protesting. In many cities, especially Lille and Saint-Nazaire, demonstrators blocked the flow of traffic by erecting barricades on highways and bridges. In addition, museums in Paris were closed to visitors as part of the strikes. The General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC) demanded that 30 percent of flights at Orly Airport in Paris be canceled for tomorrow and the next day. Similar requests are expected to be made for other airports during the day.
Pension Reform Crisis
The pension reform, which is among the most important election promises of French President Macron, envisages extending the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2 years. In the absence of support, it preferred to accept the reform bill directly, without putting it to a vote in the parliament pursuant to paragraph 3 of Article 49. Following the decision on March 16, protests began in France. Nearly 900 demonstrators were detained in the protests, which took place with the harsh intervention of the police. The images showing that some journalists and observers were beaten by the police during the demonstrations caused reactions. Opposition parties applied to the Constitutional Council for the annulment of the reform, which was accepted without a vote in the parliament.
Protesters in France block the entrance to Paris Airport