"Yellow vests" storm French cities opposing Macron's upcoming pension reform

France's famous "Yellow Vests" (Gilet Jaunes) protest movement mobilized on January 7 throughout the country to protest rising inflation and the government's plans to push forward a controversial pension reform.

As reported by RFI, food and fuel price increases, hospital overcrowding and a scarcity of popular medicines have led to calls for a renaissance of the Yellow Vests. Details of the pension reform plan are scheduled to be released on January 10, which will include raising the retirement age from 62 to 65.

This move is being opposed by France's leftwing politicians, by the far right and the trade unions.

According to RIA Novosti, the Yellow Vest movement also protested against the government’s repeated usage of “Article 49.3” which, in their opinion, cut short democratic, legislative debate in order to adopt the budget for 2023.

President Macron touched upon the pension reforms during his new year's speech on December 31, saying, "As I promised to you, this year will be the year of reform to the pension system which aims to balance our system for the years and decades to come. We need to work more", as reported by France 24. 

Philippe Martinez, Head of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), France's leading trade union, has warned that France will see a wave of mass strikes in early 2023 if the government does not roll back its pension reform.

Saturday's protests were held in the capital Paris, as well as in Avignon, Toulouse, Strassbourg and Mulhouse.

Caliber.Az recalls, that around 250,000 protesters took to the streets in September to express their opposition to raising the age of retirement and demanding an increase in the minimum wage.