Oh, how lovely! It seems that the French has found a way to make the most of their protests, by enjoying a nice glass of wine as the city burns in the background. Who needs a peaceful demonstration when you can have a flaming ambiance and a delightful beverage to accompany it? Cheers to the protesters for making the most of a chaotic situation!
2 weeks ago, the French government decided to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, setting off a way of sometimes-violent protests. Take a look at this viral video:
The café fire incident occurred amidst several days of violent protests that have erupted throughout France.
Last week, protestors set fire to the historic town hall in Bordeaux, but the fire was promptly extinguished by firefighters. As a result of the ongoing unrest, King Charles has postponed his visit to Paris, and the new date for the state visit has not yet been announced. During the protests, which involved over a million people, the ornate wooden doors of the affected building were set on fire.
According to reports, on Thursday, over one million individuals participated in public demonstrations throughout France, following President Macron's decision to enact a change via executive powers. This particular approach has been deemed controversial, as it bypasses the requirement for a vote to take place in the National Assembly, the lower house of the French parliament.
The French President has stated that changes to the retirement age are essential to prevent the pension budget from falling into deficit. However, this has been met with strong opposition, resulting in violent protests that have included the setting of fire to Bordeaux's historic town hall. While firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the flames, the unrest has led to the arrest of approximately 80 individuals and injuries to 123 police personnel and gendarmes. To maintain order, 12,000 security forces, with 5,000 stationed in Paris, were deployed on Thursday. The protests have also resulted in widespread strikes among various sectors, including transport workers, teachers, rubbish collectors, and oil refinery workers. As a result of the ongoing unrest, King Charles has been forced to postpone his state visit to France, which was initially scheduled to begin on Sunday, due to security concerns.