The Paris Administrative Court validated the use of drones to monitor the demonstration, despite the fact that several organizations defending freedoms requested the suspension of the use of drones.
Thousands of people took to the streets this Monday in the main cities of France, on International Workers’ Day, in protest against the pension reform of the Government of Emmanuel Macron, promulgated on April 15.
The unions called for more than 300 protests and demonstrations throughout the country despite the approval of the reform -which passes at 64 years of age-. In total, it is estimated that 1.5 million people could join the demonstrations.
Unions say “almost 2 million” protesters have taken to the streets of Paris. The violence escalated and there are at least 111 detainees
The Government, which considers the matter closed, continues to face the struggle of workers and unions who insist on continuing with the protests, preventing the entry into force of the measure, scheduled for September 1.
The protests lasted over the weekend, even causing interruptions and cuts in air traffic with France, where around 30% of flights were cancelled.
It is estimated that in the capital, Paris alone, more than 100,000 people took to the streets, prompting the authorities to mobilize more than 5,000 riot police.
The protesters, who have already clashed with law enforcement, threw paint against the wall of the Ritz Hotel and the Ministry of Justice, in Place Vêndome, in the city center.
The action was claimed by activists from the Última Renovación group, which intends to protest “against the rich and in solidarity with the workers,” they explained.
France. Council of Europe alarmed by ‘excessive use of force’ in protests
Also this Monday, the Administrative Court of Paris validated the use of drones to supervise the demonstration, despite the fact that several organizations defending freedoms have requested the suspension of the use of drones by the police, considering that “they could threaten the fundamental freedoms”, according to reports in the newspaper Le Parisien.
In other cities, such as Le Havre, the courts limited its use to specific time periods. Therefore, they can only be used between 09:00 and 14:00 local time and not between 09:00 and 18:00, as previously planned.
The French government has declared that it intends to invite the unions to sit down at the table and talk “in the coming days” in an attempt to calm tensions. Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt said that “we have to listen to the messages that are being sent” and defended the dialogue.
In this sense, he assured that the police “do not get involved in provocations during the marches” and guaranteed that the problem is not the agents, but “the possibility of violence.” “The problem is not the police, it is the violent. I do not confuse them with the protesters, ”she clarified, in statements broadcast by the television channel BFMTV.
The unions, however, warned that “there will be no movement until the reform is withdrawn.” “This May 1 is a turning point, we have to be there. It serves to put our aspirations on the political agenda: better wages, equality between men and women and better working conditions.
Source: Observadora
