A series of protests began in France on 19 January 2023 with a demonstration of over one million people nationwide, organised by opponents of the pension reform bill proposed by the Borne government to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64.
The strikes led to widespread disruption, including garbage piling up in the streets and public transport cancellations. In March, the government used Article 49.3 of the Constitution to force the bill through the French Parliament, sparking more protests and two failed no confidence votes, contributing to an increase in violence in protests alongside the union-organised strike action.
Several organizations, including human rights groups such as Reporters Without Borders and France's Human Rights League condemned France's crackdown on protests and also denounced the assault on journalists. In addition, the Council of Europe also criticised the "excessive use of force by agents of the state".
The issue of pension reforms has been dealt with by various French governments over recent decades, specifically to tackle budget shortfalls. France has one of the lowest retirement ages for an industrialised country, and spends more than most countries on pensions, with it amounting to almost 14% of economic output. France's pension system is largely built on a "pay-as-you-go structure"; both workers and employers "are assessed mandatory payroll taxes that are used to fund retiree pensions". This system, "which has enabled generations to retire with a guaranteed, state-backed pension, will not change". Compared to other European countries, France possesses "one of the lowest rates of pensioners at risk of poverty", with a net pension replacement rate ("a measure of how effectively retirement income replaces prior earnings") of 74%, higher than OECD and EU averages.
The New York Times says the government argues rising life expectancies "have left the system in an increasingly precarious state"; "[i]n 2000, there were 2.1 workers paying into the system for every one retiree; in 2020 that ratio had fallen to 1.7, and in 2070 it is expected to drop to 1.2, according to official projections". In addition, the cost of pensions has partially contributed to France's national debt rising to 112% of GDP, compared to 98% before the COVID-19 pandemic; this is one of the highest levels in the EU, higher than the UK and Germany. In an interview in March 2023, Macron said that "when he began working there were 10 million French pensioners and now there were 17 million". The New York Times add that in order "[t]o keep the system financially viable without funneling more taxpayer money into it â something the government already does â Macron sought to gradually raise the legal age when workers can start collecting a pension by three months every year until it reaches 64 in 2030." Additionally, Macron has "accelerated a previous change that increased the number of years that workers must pay into the system to get a full pension and abolished special pension âÂÂrules that benefited workers in sectors like energy and transportation".
As part of Macron's pension reforms, the retirement age was to be raised to 64 or 65, from 62. The pay-as-you-go system â raising the retirement age would help to further finance, as life expectancy increases and more start work later â would have a surplus of â¬3.2bn in 2022, but the government's pensions advisory board (COR) forecast that it would "fall into structural deficits in coming decades unless new financing sources are found". In March 2023, Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt said that "without immediate action" the pensions deficit would exceed $13bn annually by 2027. The government stated that the reforms would "balance the deficit" in 2030, with a surplus amounting to billions of dollars that would "pay for measures allowing those in physically demanding jobs to retire early".
The pension reforms have long been under consideration by Macron and his government. Reforming the pension system was a significant part of his platform for election in 2017, with initial protests and transport strikes in late 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic which saw Macron delay the reforms further. Raising the retirement age was not part of these initial reforms, but another "plan to unify the complex French pension system" by "getting rid of the 42 special regimes for sectors ranging from rail and energy workers to lawyers was crucial to keep the system financially viable".
On 26 October 2022, Macron announced that pension reform scheduled for 2023 intended to raise the retirement age to 65, be gradually increased from 62 to 65 by 2031, by three months per year from September 2023 to September 2030. Furthermore, the number of years that contributions would need to be made to qualify for the full state pension would increase from 42 to 43 in 2027, meaning that some may have to work to 67 â the year at which a person is automatically able to receive a state pension from.
In his New Year's Eve speech on 31 December 2022, he clarified that the reforms would be implemented by autumn 2023. In early January 2023 prior to consultation with unions, Prime Minister ÃÂlisabeth Borne spoke on FranceInfo radio, stating that the government could "show flexibility" on the intention to raise the retirement age to 65, and were willing to explore "other solutions" that would enable the government to "reach its target of balancing the pensions system by 2030". She announced that the policy would be presented to cabinet on 23 January and debated in parliament in early February, with full details published on 10 January.
Article 49.3 of the French Constitution allows governments to bypass the National Assembly and force through bills without a vote. However, invoking it triggers a proviso that allows for no-confidence motions to be filed in the government. Because each party tends to only vote for their own motions and against those of others, on only one occasion, in 1962, where the Article has been triggered, the government lost a subsequent no-confidence motion.
On 14 March, The Guardian declared that Macron had two options â broker deals with Les Républicains or force the bill through using Article 49.3, "a measure that avoids an Assemblée nationale vote [the government] risks losing". They said that "[m]inisters have said the government would not use the 49.3, widely condemned as undemocratic and which risks inflaming a volatile public mood" and that "[i]nstead, there has been a flurry of negotiations by ministers to guarantee a majority in the lower house"; "[u]nion leaders have said using the 49.3 would lead to a hardening of opposition and would escalate strikes". On 16 March, it was said "[m]inutes before MPs in the lower house were to vote, Macron was still holding a series of frantic meetings with senior political figures, and suddenly chose to use special powers instead of risking a vote, which he appeared poised to lose". The decision to invoke was a "surprise, last-minute decision" by Macron, as "he was not certain of the support of enough lawmakers" to take the bill to a National Assembly vote.
The Guardian explained that 49.3's invoking "illustrates Macron's difficult position in parliament", with his parliamentary party/grouping having lost its majority in the National Assembly following the 2022 legislative election.
The coordination of the strikes by all of France's trade unions has been labelled a "rare show of unity", with transport and energy workers, teachers, dockers and public sector workers (such as museum staff) all having gone on strike. Trade unions "say the reform will penalise low-income people in manual jobs who tend to start their careers early, forcing them to work longer than graduates, who are less affected by the changes."
Polls have consistently shown that the measures are substantially unpopular, as well as the use of Article 49.3 to enact them without a parliamentary vote in the National Assembly. France 24 reported that a poll from a few days prior to the move suggested around "eight out of ten people opposed legislating in this way, including a majority of voters who backed Macron in the first round of last year's presidential election". The American Prospect opined that earlier support from conservative members of the National Assembly for the reforms had faded away as a result of polling that showed the reforms were unpopular. The decision to invoke Article 49.3 was seen by those on the left as "a major defeat and a sign of weakness" for the government, that would now be seen as "being brutal and undemocratic"; Antoine Bristielle, a representative of the Fondation Jean-Jaurès think tank, commented that using 49.3 is "perceived as a symbol of brutality" that could "erode support both for the government and democratic institutions". Le Journal du Dimanche reported that Macron's approval ratings hit a low comparable to the Yellow Jackets protests. In a poll spanning 9 to 16 March, 70% of respondents were dissatisfied with him and only 28% were satisfied.
It has been suggested that the reforms do not adequately tackle the disadvantage women are at within the workforce, who usually retire later than men and with pensions 40% lower in comparison, attributed to more part-time work and maternity leave. Women are already subject to later retirement due to taking time away from work to raise children. Euronews outlined that the reforms would lead to women retiring later and working, on average, seven months longer over the course of their life, while men would work around five months longer. They quoted Franck Riester, the Minister Delegate for Parliamentary Relations, admitting that women would be "a bit penalised by the reform" in January.
As well as this, it has been argued the reforms will hit the working-class and those who work in manual jobs disproportionately. CNN pointed out that are likely to start working at a younger age than ; The Washington Post pointed out that a minor part of those employed in 'physically or mentally demanding' jobs are still eligible to retire earlier with a full pension, which although The New York Times equally pointed to how this was a concession by the government to "mollify opposition", which overall has failed because unions view the increase in the retirement age as a "non-starter" and was later removed as result of passing the age rise as a financial law. At the other end of the scale, it has been reported that some are concerned about "being forced to retire later because older adults who want to work but who lose their jobs often face age discrimination in the labor market".
Those opposed to the reforms argue "the government is prioritizing businesses and people who are highly paid over average laborers", and have "disputed the need for urgency", The New York Times saying they contest that "Macron is attacking a cherished right to retirement and unfairly burdening blue-collar workers because of his refusal to increase taxes on the wealthy". In addition, opponents opine that Macron has "exaggerated the threat of projected deficits and refused to consider other ways to balance the system, like increasing worker payroll taxes, decoupling pensions from inflation or increasing taxes on wealthy households or companies", and that "the official body that monitors France's pension system has acknowledged that there is no immediate threat of bankruptcy and that long-term deficits", which Macron and the government have argued would occur if these reforms were not implemented, "were hard to accurately predict".
, a historian on France's political culture, theorized the unpopularity of the reforms can be partially attributed to Macron personally, given the "pre-existing anger against" him, having "struggled to shake off the image of an out-of-touch 'president of the rich. He said that "[t]hat's why he has not only all the unions, but also a large part of public opinion against him", as "[b]y tying himself to the project, opposition to it is heightened, dramatized in a way."
It has been criticized for having taken place during a cost-of-living crisis, which some have attributed to worsening the anger and protests over the policies. The Times said that some have "questioned the political wisdom of going ahead with the reform at a time when the public mood has been soured by high inflation", as â¬7.1 billion of the â¬17.7 billion that "the reform was meant to have saved has been wiped out by modifications to its provisions".
The protests, in very minor part, gave way to instances of violence and rioting as demonstrators and police forces clashed in the streets.
In Chambéry, "banners, sound systems, flags, and union tunics prepared for the 7 March demonstration went up in smoke" when fire was set to three vehicles parked in front of the Union hall. The methods used resembled those used in other degradations in the area in the preceding year, including a swastika and anti-vax slogans spray-painted on the regional health agency () offices.
There were black bloc groups at the front of the demonstrations in Paris, Lyon, and Nantes on May 1. There were between 2000 and 3000 in Paris, 1000 in Lyon (among 2000 the Rhône prefecture identified as "risky individuals"), and large numbers were also present in Nantes.
An unauthorized protest on 15 April attracted over 1000 people to downtown Rennes and permitted two men to make off with â¬25,000 worth of gold bars and coins from a gold seller's shop.
On 19 January, the Ministry of the Interior counted 1.12 million demonstrators, including 80,000 in Paris. Over 200 demonstrations were reported in the country.
More than one million people took to the streets in Paris and other French towns as part of countrywide protests over proposals to raise the retirement age. Eight of the largest unions participated in the strike over pension reforms. The French Ministry of the Interior said that 80,000 demonstrators gathered in the streets in Paris, where small numbers threw bottles, rocks, and fireworks at riot police. Over 200 demonstrations were reported in the country. According to the unions, 2 million people took part in the demonstrations with 400,000 of them participating in the Paris demonstrations.
Despite the demonstrations, Emmanuel Macron emphasized that the pension reforms would go forward. French unions declared that further strikes and protests would be held on 31 January in an effort to halt the government's plans to raise the standard retirement age from 62 to 64. The new law would increase annual pension contributions, from 41 to 43 payments throughout the year. Some flights out of Orly Airport were canceled, while the Eurostar website reported the cancellation of many routes between Paris and London. Though "a few delays" were reported at Charles de Gaulle Airport, owing to striking air traffic controllers, no flights were canceled.
Another demonstration was organized in Paris on 21 January, supposedly long-planned by students and youth organisations.
Demonstrations organized by different groups took place in other cities, like in Dinan, Limoges and Lyon.
Demonstrations were organized around the country with public transport, schools, and electricity production specifically targeted by the strikes. Public television broadcasters were also affected by the strikes, with news broadcasts cancelled and music played instead.
According to the CGT union, 2.8 million people took part in the protests while the Ministry of Internal Affairs counted 1.272 million protesters.
On 7 February, a third day of national protests were held after being called by l'intersyndicale. According to the CGT, 400,000 people demonstrated in Paris, down 100,000 from the 31 of January. In total, over 2,000,000 strikers participated in demonstrations according to the CGT, while the police estimate that around 757,000 strikers participated in protests.
On 11 February, a fourth day of national protests was held. According to the CGT, over 2,500,000 protesters took part in demonstrations, a rise of 500,000 compared to 7 February, while the Ministry of the Interior claims that 963,000 protested, a rise of over 200,000 compared to 7 February. In Paris, over 500,000 people demonstrated against the reform according to the CGT, while 93,000 demonstrated according to the prefecture. The Intersyndicale called for recurring strikes starting on 7 March.
On 16 February, protesters joined fresh rallies and strikes. Unions said some 1.3 million people participated nationwide Thursday, the lowest figure since the protest movement started on January 19. The interior ministry put the national figure at 440,000, down from nearly a million on Saturday (11 Feb). On the day, 30 per cent of flights from Paris's Orly airport were cancelled.
In early March, trains around the country continued to be affected by strikes and protests. It is believed that 1.1 to 1.4 million people participated in over 260 protests across the country. As a part of the protest, union members blocked fuel deliveries from being made, with the intention of bringing the French economy to its knees.
On Saturday, 11 March, the seventh day of protests was held in response to the National Assembly and Senate debating the draft law, with a final vote expected that month. Macron twice declined meetings with unions that week. About 368,000 people protested, below the 800,000âÂÂ1,000,000 expected. The following day, the Senate passed an initial vote by 195âÂÂ112.
On 14 March, The Guardian reported that "French unions have called for a show of force with a final day of strikes and protests in the run-up" the vote on the reforms in the National Assembly, which would be the eighth day of national mobilisation sofar. Transport Minister Clément Beaune said "there would be disruption to public transport and flights, but it was unlikely to be a "Black Wednesday"", with "not ... the same level of disruptions as with previous mobilisations".
200 protests were reported to have taken place across the country. There were conflicting numbers of the strength of the protests; the Interior Ministry reported 480,000 marched throughout the country, with 37,000 in Paris, while CGT counted 1.78m and 450,000 respectively. Figures from Le Monde dispute both these claims. Reportedly, French police expected 650,000âÂÂ850,000 protesters nationwide, fewer than the largest protests the previous week, with preliminary figures demonstrating a lower strike turnout in the energy and transport sectors at midday compared to previous days.
Among those who were on strike were train drivers, school teachers, dock workers, oil refinery workers, as well as garbage collectors continuing their now ten-day strike action.
In the afternoon, protesters gathered at the Esplanade des Invalides, with "loud music and huge union balloons". Police had ordered that the build-up of rubbish to be "cleared out along the march route" after some "used garbage to start fires or throw trash at police in recent demonstrations". The marchers were "accompanied by a heavy security force" as they "moved through the Left Bank along unencumbered streets". Police reported that one group of protestors "attacked a small business", and that nine people were detained within three hours of the march beginning. The protestors' march ended at the Place d'Italie. Known as "Greve 15 mars", it was co-ordinated and organised by eight trade unions.
Liquefied natural gas operations were suspended, with public transport severely affected; it was stated that 40% of high-speed trains and half the regional trains were cancelled, with the Paris Métro running slower. The DGAC warned of delays, reporting that 20% of the flights at Paris-Orly airport were cancelled.
Elsewhere, in Rennes, Nantes, and Lyon, "[s]ecurity forces countered violence with charges and tear gas", according to French media. Demonstrations also took place in Le Havre in Normandy, Nice, and Mulhouse.
PBS reported that Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin had asked Paris City Hall to force some of the garbage workers to return to work, calling the build-up along the streets "a public health issue". Paris mayor Anne Hidalgo said that she supported the strike, and in response a government spokesman Olivier Véran declared that if she did not comply, the Interior Ministry would be "ready to act instead".
Protests erupted after the announcement that the pension reforms would be enacted without a parliamentary vote, Borne invoking article 49:3 of the constitution to do so just "minutes" before the scheduled vote on the bill. Inside the National Assembly, opposition MPs on the left booed and jeered the announcement and sang the national anthem in order to prevent Borne from speaking, forcing the session to be briefly suspended before the announcement by Borne was made. Speaking to MPs who were booing her, Borne proclaimed that "[w]e cannot gamble on the future of our pensions ... The reform is necessary."
Marine Le Pen announced she would file a no-confidence motion in the government, describing the use of Article 49.3 as "an extraordinary confession of weakness," "a total failure for the government", and that Borne should resign. Fabien Roussel of the French Communist Party, who also "called on street protesters and trade unionists to keep mobilising", stated that the left was ready to make the same motion; Socialist Party leader Olivier Faure "accused Macron of deploying a "permanent coup d'état" to shove through the legislation". The Week said that "Macron and his government insist the reforms are needed to keep the pension system solvent and government borrowing acceptably low".
Politicians from across the political spectrum denounced the move. Conservative MPs, such as those from The Republicans, whom Macron has relied upon for support in votes in the National Assembly, "rebuke[d] the government, warning that its move would radicalise opponents and undercut the law's democratic legitimacy." The Times reported that Macron was thought to have "hoped earlier on Thursday to hold â and win â a parliamentary vote but changed tack after learning that only 35 of the 64 Republican MPs would back the reform, leaving him short of a majority", quoting Labor Minister Olivier Dussopt, who said that they "did everything [to have a vote] right up to the last minute". MoDem MPs, who are aligned with Macron's Renaissance group, said the decision to force the bill through "was a mistake"; Erwan Balanant said "he had left the parliament chamber "in a state of shock"", while "[o]ther centrist MPs said it was a waste and showed weakness".
In the Place de la Concorde, thousands protested (figures are disputed between 2,000 protesters and 7,000). France 24 reported that it was a "spontaneous and unplanned rally", but Le Monde stated that it was "organized by the union Solidaires and authorized by the administrative court". La France Insoumise leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon spoke to the crowd, declaring that Macron had gone "over the heads of the will of the people." He also claimed the reform had "no legitimacy â neither in parliament, nor in the street". It is possible that many joined the rally in Paris after being turned away by police from the "blockade of the Veolia warehouse in Aubervilliers".
Later, a bonfire was lit, with police armed with shields and batons deploying tear gas in an attempt to clear the square at around 8pm. One police officer was reportedly injured.
By nightfall, 120 people were reported to have been arrested, according to Parisian police, "on suspicion of seeking to cause damage"; by 11:30pm, the number later rose to 217. Protesters in the Place were observed to have thrown cobbled stones at assembled police before they moved in to break up the groups, using tear gas and water cannons, with smaller sections of protesters running down side streets and setting smaller fires, such as to piles of garbage, and "caused damage to shop fronts". Numerous makeshift barricades in Paris streets were set alight.
The CGT announced further strikes and demonstrations for 23 March; its head, Philippe Martinez, said that the forcing through of the law "shows contempt towards the people", with unions describing the move by the government as "a complete denial of democracy". France 24 commented that "unionists were also out in strength, hailing a moral victory even as they denounced Macron's "violation of democracy"".
Protests took place in other cities, such as Rennes, Nantes, Lyon, Toulouse, and Marseille. In the latter, shop windows and bank fronts were smashed, for which "radical leftist groups" were partially blamed, with shops looted. Protests in the former three cities were reported to have resulted in clashes between protesters and police, and in Lyon consisted of approximately "400 people gathered in front of administrative offices, calling for the president to resign". There had been a brief blockade of the National Library early in the day.
The following day, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin told RTL Radio that 310 had been arrested in relation to protest action nationwide, with 258 in Paris.
Macron made no public comment on 16 March, but AFP reported that "he told a closed-door cabinet meeting: "You cannot play with the future of the country.""
Demonstrations once again took place at the Place de la Concorde, attended by several thousand people "with chants, dancing and a huge bonfire," protesters chanting "Tax the rich", before riot police intervened using tear gas to clear the square, after some "climbed scaffolding on a renovation site, arming themselves with wood", and "lobbed fireworks and paving stones at police in a standoff". On Twitter, a clip of protesters gathered at the Place chanting "we decapitated Louis XVI and we can start again, Macron" went viral, with protesters also, more generally, calling for Macron to resign. Broadcaster BFMTV reported that police detained 61 people following the protests. The Times claimed that the protestors' "ranks were swollen by members of the 'black bloc' â young masked troublemakers out for a fight". Notably, head of the 'moderate' CFDT union, Laurent Berger, said that a change in government or Prime Minister "will not put out this fire, only withdrawing the reform."
Additionally, Paris's Boulevard Périphérique was "disrupted at almost 200 points during peak rush hour" in the morning, by CGT activists. It was also reported that there was "escalated strikes" at refineries, with a blockade of an unspecified refinery in southern France having begun earlier in the day. A CGT representative claimed that strikes would "force the shutdown" of TotalEnergies' Normandy refinery by the weekend, furthering the industrial action; a rolling strike was already in place there, with strikers continuing to deliver less fuel than normal from other sites. (DW reported on 18 March that CGT had already shut it down by Friday evening, however.) The CGT also announced an extension to picket lines at Electricite de France.
Smaller protests and rallies took place in Bordeaux, Toulouse, Toulon and Strasbourg. Specific methods of protest across France reported were street furniture being destroyed, bins set alight, and windows smashed. In Dijon, protesters burned effigies of Macron. Protests also took place in smaller towns like Laval and ÃÂvreux.
Earlier in the day, police pepper-sprayed students protesting near Sorbonne University, with some also walking out of lectures. In Lille, the Institute of Political studies was blocked by student protesters. Strikers of the CGT union "voted to halt production at one of the country's largest refineries by this weekend or Monday at the latest", having "already been on a rolling strike at the northern site TotalEnergies de Normandie, and halting production would escalate the industrial action and spark fears of fuel shortages", with striking workers continuing to "deliver less fuel than normal from several other sites". In Bordeaux, "dozens" of protesters and demonstrators trespassed onto tracks at the main train station, including CGT unionists, with CGT and NPA flags being flown. In Donges, a roadblock was in place near to the TotalEnergie refinery oil terminals; in Valenciennes, striking workers blocked the entry of a fuel depot while police in riot gear were observed removing tyres from the road near it; striking rubbish collection workers clashed with police at the Ivry-sur-Seine incinerator; and the blockade of the port of Marseille by striking workers of the CGT continued. Unions from SNCF, the national train operator, "urged workers to continue another continuous strike".
A multi-party no-confidence motion was tabled in the National Assembly earlier in the day. Spearheaded by centrist group Liot, it was co-signed by NUPES, with a total of 91 MPs from five different parliamentary groups signing. Later in the day, National Rally filed a separate no-confidence motion, signed by 81 cross-party MPs; party leader Le Pen said the decision to push through the pension changes was "a total failure for the government".
On RTL radio, Interior Minister "warned against what he called the chaos of random, spontaneous street demonstrations", describing "[t]he opposition is legitimate, the protests are legitimate, but wreaking havoc is not, and "denounced the fact that effigies of Macron, Borne and other ministers were burned at a protest in Dijon" and that ""public buildings had been targeted". Aurore Bergé, head of Renaissance in parliament, wrote to Darmanin "asking him to ensure the protection of MPs who feared violence against them", because "she would not accept MPs living in "fear of reprisals"". He replied, saying "police would be vigilant against any violence directed towards lawmakers."
On 18 March, it was announced protests in Paris were banned on the Place de la Concorde, opposite parliament, as well at the Champs-ÃÂlysées. Police explained this was due to "serious risks of disturbances to public order and security", and said those who did not obey this order could be fined. Nevertheless, a bonfire was lit at the Place de la Concorde, with an effigy of Macron dropped onto it to cheers. Despite this, widespread protests were still reported in Paris, with a rally instead planned for Place d'Italie in southern Paris at 6pm that evening, at which demonstrators chanted, once again, for Macron to resign, and "Macron is going to break down, we are going to win". 4,000 were present. Barricades were erected in the streets, rubbish bins were set alight, with the glass on billboards and bus shelters smashed. Barriers used to block the streets and bottles were thrown at riot police, who utilised tear gas and water cannons to disperse protesters. 81 arrests were made in the vicinity. protesters who gathered at the Place d'Italie then "marched toward Europe's biggest waste incineration plant, which has become a flashpoint of tensions", some setting trash cans alight and chanting mottos "such as "the streets are ours" as firefighter sirens wailed". Politico, quoting the Ministry of the Interior, later reported 122 had been arrested in Paris, with a total of 169 nationwide.
Police also used tear gas against protesters who started a fire in Bordeaux, as BFMTV showed demonstrations in major cities such as Marseille, Compiegne, Nantes (where around a thousand protested), Brest, and Montpellier, with around 200 protesting in Lodeve in the south of France. In Nice, the political office of the leader of the Republicans, ÃÂric Ciotti, was ransacked, with tags left that threatened riots if the party refused to support any of the motions of no-confidence in the government. In the afternoon in Nantes, protestors threw bottles at police, who also responded with tear gas; in spite of this, DW described the protests in Nantes, as well as Marseille and Montpellier, as "mostly peaceful marches", as did the AP. They reported that in Marseille, protesters eluded police and occupied the main train station for approximately 15 minutes. In Besançon, "hundreds of demonstrators lit a brazier and burned voter cards. In Lyon, some demonstrators tried to break into a town hall and set it alight, with police arresting 36; police claimed that ""groups of violent individuals" triggered clashes".
A spokesperson for TotalEnergies reported that 37% of its operational staff at refineries and depots, such as at Feyzin and Normandy, were on strike. Rolling strikes also continued on railways. Students and activists from the Permanent Revolution collective "briefly invaded" the Forum des Halles shopping mall, with banners calling for a general strike and chanting for Paris to "stand up" and "rise up", and letting off red smoke canisters. A representative of a union representing waste collectors said strikers at three incinerators outside of Paris would allow some trucks through to "limit the risk of an epidemic", while police claimed trucks from five depots had restarted work. CGT announced "strikers were halting production at two refineries over the weekend".
CGT announced the shutdown of France's largest refinery, TotalEnergies' Gonfreville-L'Orcher (Seine-Maritime) site, and "at least two oil refineries might be shut down starting Monday". Industry Minister Roland Lescure announced the government could order those striking to return to work in order to help avoid fuel shortages.
AP reported that the DGAC had requested 30% of flights at Orly Airport to be cancelled, and 20% in Marseille, for Monday 20 March.
"Hundreds" of protesters were reported in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and Lille in the evening. In Marseille, a large bonfire was lit, with a large throng of demonstrators dancing around it.
Some neighbourhoods of Paris continued to have collection of waste disrupted; Philippe Martinez from CGT "urged" Paris collection workers to continue their now-two-week-long strike. A few hundred people protested outside the Les Halles shopping centre before police moved them on. Early on Sunday, "dozens" of union activists marched through a shopping mall in Rosny-sous-Bois, and cars were allowed to pass through the tolls on the A1 and A13 motorways for free during the day. Shutdowns of refineries continued, with reports of petrol queues building up in the south of France; authorities claimed that "supplies were high enough to avoid shortages".
In response to reports of constituency offices of various MPs being vandalized, Macron "called the speakers of both houses of parliament to affirm his support for all legislators and said the government was mobilized to "put everything in place to protect them" late on 19 March.
Macron also made his first public statement since 16 March; issued to AFP, he said that he hoped "the text on pensions can go to the end of its democratic journey with respect for all". Bruno Le Maire, the Finance Minister, commented further; "[t]hose among us who are able will gradually need to work more to finance our social model, which is one of the most generous in the world". Leader of the Republicans, ÃÂric Ciotti, said his party would not back the no-confidence motions, as he "refuses to 'add chaos to chaos; consequently, it was expected that the motions would not pass, as the Republicans act as de facto kingmakers in the National Assembly, neither Macron's bloc or the other opposition parties combined numbering a majority. NUPES' Jean-Luc Mélenchon informed RTL that "[f]or as long as the 64-year reform is on the table, we have to keep it up, but decried the use of violence, advising protesters to not "make our struggle invisible with practices that would be turned against us, as "Macron... is counting on people going too far, so as to profit from a situation of fear." The Times reported that, in response to Ciotti's party refusing to support the motions, and that some Republican MPs may not follow their leader's decision, National Rally president Jordan Bardella was attempting to "persuade more to follow suit by promising his party will not put up candidates against them if the crisis does lead to an election".
DW reported, on 18 March, that union leaders were anticipating that some airports would see nearly a third of flights cancelled on 20 March, owing to strike action. easyJet and Ryanair, both British airlines, warned passengers to expect disruption. Ryanair said it was "expecting possible cancellations and delays on flights to and from France from 20 to 23 March." Eurostar announced that trains would run a normal service on 20 and 21 March, but there would be disruption to public transport in Lille on 20 March.
In the morning, rubbish piles were set alight around the ring road in Rennes as part of a road blockade, with protesters also blockading waste collection points and the nearby Vern-sur-Seiche oil depot was blockaded. The road blockade was attended by a "few hundred people". It began at 6:30am, and led to "over 15 miles of halted traffic around the city". Police used tear gas and charged towards protesters who were on the road and in surrounding fields. Shortly before midday, it was announced they had all been lifted. However, a damaged road in Porte de Saint-Malo meant the speed limit was temporarily reduced to 70 kilometers per hour. Crisis24 said that industrial action at oil refineries was "starting to impact fuel supplies", with shortages of fuel at stations, "particularly" in Marseille and the south of the country. Sky News, on 17 March, stated that garbage collection strikes are set to continue until at least 20 March.
SNCF has warned of "disruption to intercity and regional train services", with only two out of three trains running on several lines of Paris' RATP network. Crisis24 reported that such disruptions will continue until 23 March, when the national strike will exacerbate service provision.
On 17 March, teachers' unions called for strikes in the following weeks, possibly disrupting the baccalauréat exams, which begin on 20 March. CFDT's Laurent Berger proclaimed that she wished for no disruption to the exams as they could just worsen the already-high stress levels of the students taking them.
39% of TotalEnergie workers were on strike. Le Monde reported that half "of filling stations lacked one or more fuels in the southeastern region of Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur, requiring local authorities to limit sales until Thursday", with prohibition on the filling of , and "many areas" in the west of the country affected by the continued blockade, and closure, of the Donges refinery. As well as this, they quoted figures from the UFIP oil lobby that 7% of the country's petrol stations were affected by fuel shortages, (up from 4% prior to the weekend; and that only 5âÂÂ8 of 200 storage facilities were blocked) meaning "people in major cities in particular would be "suffering"; this was worse in some areas, as in Marseille, "around half of petrol stations are reporting shortages, with an estimated 40 per cent completely closed in Bouches-du-Rhône", and that "the Paris region could be hit by shortages at the storage facility of Genevilliers, northwest of the French capital". The "collaborative website" Penurie.mon-essence.fr said that approximately 986 fuel stations were "plagued by partial shortages", with 739 out of fuel "completely". Olivier Gantois, executive chairman of UFIP, said "[t]here will only be a shortage if people continue to rush to fill up", and that "[i]f customers panic, logistics will fail and we will be out of supply"; Le Monde added such comments were "in belief that shortages are the sole result of preemptive purchases on the part of consumers".
It was confirmed on 18 March that two no-confidence motions filed against the government will be debated beginning Monday, 20 March. The Republicans' leader has announced his intention not to support either motion, but The Times reported some LR MPs may defy him.
A poll found that over two-thirds of the French public wanted the no-confidence vote to succeed â despite the likelihood of it doing so being slim â and for Prime Minister Borne to resign regardless of its success or not.
The debate began at 4pm in the National Assembly, with opposition MPs "booing and jeering [the Prime Minister] when she took to the podium". She commented that the government "has never gone so far to form a compromise" to pass the pension reform laws. The author of the transpartisan motion, Charles de Courson, spoke that the removal of the government was "the only way of stopping the social and political crisis in this country". ÃÂric Ciotti, leader of the Republicans, said invoking Article 49.3 was "a result of many years of political failures" that brought to the fore "a profound crisis in our constitution", but did not think the no-confidence votes was the solution required.
Both motions of no-confidence failed. The trans-partisan vote of no confidence failed by nine votes, while National Rally's no-confidence motion only received 94 votes, after other opposition parties declared their intention to not vote for it. Only 19 members of the Republicans voted for the transpartisan motion; France 24 commented that over half of the Republican MPs would have needed to vote in favour for the motion to pass.
Nevertheless, France 24 reported that NUPES MPs did not expect the transpartisan no-confidence vote they were part of to be so close. Immediately after, LFI MPs shouted "Resign!" at Prime Minister Borne, and held placards reading "We'll meet in the streets," while it was also reported left-wing MPs held up paper reading "On continue" ("We will continue") during the proclamation of the results. Prime Minister Borne tweeted that "We are coming to the end of the democratic process of this essential reform for our country. I assumed my responsibility and that of my government with humility and seriousness." She visited the ÃÂlysée presidential palace a short time after the government won the non-confidence votes. France 24 revealed that Macron was to meet Prime Minister Borne in the morning of 21 March, the speaker of the National Assembly and the head of the senate over lunch, and with MPs from his Renaissance bloc in the evening. Journalist Benjamin Dodman claimed that Borne et al. would use, and "spin", the success in the no-confidence motions as a measure of how "democratically legitimate" the pension reforms measures are.
France 24 noted some opposition MPs were "exploring legal avenues to challenge the law before the Constitutional Council, which must rule on the constitutionality of the reforms before they can be implemented"; the Council "could decide to strike down some or all of it â if it considers it breaches the constitution". Mélenchon "called on people to "express themselves everywhere and in all circumstances to force the withdrawal of the pension reform"". Mathilde Panot, LFI parliamentary group chief, told gathered press that "[n]othing is solved, we'll continue to do all we can so this reform is pulled back". Marine Le Pen called for Borne to resign, and that Macron, in spite of how unlikely it was, should call a referendum on the reforms; she told the press that "[he]'s deaf to what the French people want".