• For this 8th day of mobilization against the pension reform and on the eve of the final vote in Parliament, 20 Minutes took to the streets to find out what future the movement had.
  • While some argue for a drastic hardening, the majority of them are preparing to continue fighting.
  • "As long as there is no death, Macron will not move. Of course we will continue to demonstrate, the people do not want this reform. Going to the street will not be enough, at some point, we will have to block or do other things, "says Philippe, in the Lille procession.

In Paris, Bordeaux, Nantes, and Lille


"I'm celebrating against retirement," laughs, dancing near the FO sound system of the Parisian procession, Martin, 5 and a half years old, came with his father, who whismiles at him "against the pension reform". In the capital, from the République station, it was blocked in the corridors of the metro, the demonstrators hurrying to line 8 as close as possible to the departure of a Parisian procession, which wandered the left bank for this 8th day of mobilization, this Wednesday afternoon.


In Lille, Philippe, a 51-year-old truck driver, who participated in his first mobilizations, was more clear-cut. "As long as there is no death, Macron will not move. Of course we will continue to demonstrate, the people do not want this reform. Going to the street will not be enough, at some point, it will be necessary to block or do other things, he insists. I've never protested in my life, but I started working at 17 and instead of leaving at 57, I'm going to leave 64? That's not possible! Jean-Loup, a 33-year-old from Bordeaux, who works in video games, shows his support for these professions with a high degree of difficulty. "With the arrival of the garbage collectors who came to put the bin's, if I may say so, it helps a lot. There are essential jobs that are asked to work super late, he believes. With their help it can move a little faster."

"Our elected officials should listen to us"

"Is the Invalides station closed?" asks Sylvie, a regular at the Parisian demonstrations. If so, the driver should announce it anyway. We can go down to Concorde, she slips to her friends of the day, it will just cross the bridge over the Seine. The other stops further, at La Tour-Maubourg, I do not know too much. This corner of Paris, I rarely go there, "says this Parisian for 25 years, who did not hesitate to strike again this Wednesday. "If we don't strike a big blow today, I don't know what's going to happen next. Tomorrow is the vote in Parliament." Robert, also met on the side of the Invalides tries to keep the accounts, even if he is doubtful: "We have never talked as much about the Republicans as since the defeat of Sarkozy in 2007," he jokes.


Voted best costume of the Parisian procession#manif15mars #ReformeDesRetraites pic.twitter.com/rHzJE9TNGN

— Laure Gamaury (@LaureGamaury) March 15, 2023

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For Jean-Pierre, 60, demonstrating in the ranks of Nantes, "the form and the substance are not well done. Our elected officials should listen to us." For him, the only solution is demonstration. An optimism shared by Carole, 44, teacher-researcher in veterinary school in Bordeaux, ready to continue beyond Thursday's vote. "A few years ago, we managed to get the government to go the other way. The people are sovereign. Everyone says it's useless, but I think it's to discourage us. »

Towards more massive blockages?

Continue, yes, but in what form? With what means? Sylvia, the Parisian grandmother who looks after her 8-year-old granddaughter on Wednesdays, decided to take her to her first demonstration. "If from an early age, Ella already understands the tricks of our leaders, she will be able to find solutions to counter these reforms in the future. Because they won't stop. They never did. I come especially for her, so that one day she will experience the joy of spending time with her grandchildren before killing herself at work." In Lille, Léo, a 21-year-old student, pleads for massive blockades. "The vote doesn't work, nor does the demonstration. What's left? If the only solution is to block, and I'm not even talking about violence, then you have to block."


Sophie, in the Bordeaux show for the fifth time, also envisages a more radical turn. "We are thinking very seriously about not monitoring the specialty exams, the most important of the bac, on Monday and Tuesday. We have tests in March for a baccalaureate whose program was invented for the month of June, so the students are not ready. For years, we have been saying that the only way to make our voices heard is at the level of the review. We never want to do it so as not to put students at risk. But there, there is a concomitance between this pension reform and that of the high school."

In Paris, Ernestine, who has been on strike for six days since mid-January, has a similar speech: "Macron wants us to fight? We're going to fight. The garbage collectors are not alone, we can block many things, the metro, energy, refineries, etc ... We are not sheep," she insists, the "subway, work, vault" across the throat. "Macron even if you don't want to, we're here," she said in chorus with the Paris demonstrators. But for how long?

  • Society
  • Paris
  • Ile
  • Pension reform 2023