‘Not just about pensions’: French protesters see threat to social justice in Macron’s reform

Half a million people rallied in Paris in the biggest protest in over a decade. © Benjamin Dodman, FRANCE 24

Huge crowds marched across France on Tuesday in a new round of protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise the retirement age, signalling the opposition’s success in framing the pension debate as part of a broader battle against an economic platform they perceive as unfair.

Though police and union figures differed, all agreed the number of demonstrators had increased compared to a first round of protests on January 19, piling pressure on a government that is struggling to convince voters of the need for a pension overhaul that includes raising the legal retirement age from 62 to 64.