France’s retirement age will be increased from 62 to 64 despite widespread and violent protests against the move, pushed by French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron signed the controversial bill into law on Saturday after France’s top court approved the increase on Friday. The government plans to implement the bill in September.
The bill has been met with massive protests from the French people, including a general strike by various unions and violence that shut down city centers across the country for several weeks.
Protests erupted again on Friday amid news of the high court’s decision.
Polls have consistently shown that most French people do not support the move, which Macron says is necessary given France’s aging population.
Left-wing lawmaker Francois Ruffin criticized Macron for Twitter after the news broke on Friday.
“Like thieves, Emmanuel Macron and his gang enacted their pension law in the middle of the night,” he said. “Because they know it well: what they have just practiced is a democratic robbery. This brutality marks, in fact, its fragility. They are now a thing of the past.”
“Your world is dead. We are strong. We are the future. We are millions. We will show it with a huge (Labor Day protest),” she added.
Opponents of the bill, including several unions, have already pledged to hold mass protests for Labor Day, May 1.
Macron’s government pushed through the bill last month without a majority vote in the French parliament, using special constitutional powers.
Copyright 2023 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
