The crisis has intensified as lawyers complain of excess violence and arbitrary arrests by squads of paramilitary police.Ī 30-year-old man was fighting for his life in a coma yesterday after being repeatedly hit over the head with a police truncheon during a riot at the weekend. The UNEF student union said the entrances to around 20 universities including Sciences Po and parts of the Sorbonne in Paris as well as institutions in Lyon, Nice and Toulouse were also blocked. The Louvre museum in Paris was blocked by strikers, while pickets continued at petrol depots and waste incinerators, particularly surrounding the capital, where 10,000 tons of rubbish have piled up.ĭozens of railway workers with flags and flares marched along tracks outside Gare de Lyon - one of Paris's main railway stations, while motorways in several other French cities were blocked this morning.Ībout 17 per cent of all fuel stations in France are missing at least one product, France's petroleum association UFIP said, citing French energy ministry data. The protest movement is the biggest domestic crisis of Macron's second term, with the strikes today also affecting refineries, bin collections, rail transport, air travel and schools.Įmployees hold banners and union flags as they block the entrance of the Louvre in Paris yesterday to denounce the government's controversial pension reform King Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, were meant to be in Bordeaux today as part of a four-day state visit to France, but it was cancelled on Friday.Īttacks included an attempt to burn down the City Hall in the south-western city, where unions had pledged to barrack the Royal couple. and we are very vigilant about their presence,' Nunez said. 'We are talking about individuals which often are being monitored by intelligence services. Laurent Nunez, president of Paris's Prefecture de Police, told France Inter radio that security agencies believed more people intent on violence could join the protests and police had to be ready. The most feared group is Black Bloc – an alliance of anarchists from all over Europe, who are expected to be out in force. 'More than 1,000 radical elements, some of whom coming from abroad' will target Paris, Lyon, Rennes, Nantes, Dijon, Bordeaux and other cities, said Mr Darmanin on the planned protests. The issues on the day have since been blamed on poor policing, with Mr Darmanin and other officials slammed for wrongly accusing Liverpool fans of unrest. 'The services of the Ministry of the Interior anticipate very significant risks of disturbances to public order,' said Mr Darmanin - who hit British headlines last year when he and other French officials wrongly blamed fans of Liverpool Football Club for crowd troubles ahead of the Champions League Final in Paris in May. 'Their aim is to bring fire and blood to France,' he added, saying that 13,000 police and gendarmes would be mobilised, including 5,500 in Paris alone. They will be supported by armoured cars, water cannon, and military units in reserve. 'Radicalized elements from the Left and the ultra-Left want to hijack the trade union processions,' said Mr Darmanin.
Up to a million people are expected to join marches against President Emmanuel Macron for raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 without a parliamentary vote. Gérald Darmanin, the country's Interior Minister, said it would involve an 'unprecedented effort' by the forces of law and order.
The biggest security operation in recent French history unfolded yesterday to combat rioters who want to bring 'fire and blood' to the streets – days after a state visit by King Charles was cancelled because of the violence.
'Their majesties greatly look forward to the opportunity to visit France as soon as dates can be found.' 'What an image for our country, which is not even able to ensure the security of a head of state,' said Mr Ciotti.īuckingham Palace said in a statement: 'The King and the Queen Consort's state visit to France has been postponed. German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and King Charles III walk to a tree planting in the garden of the Bellevue Palace in BerlinĮric Ciotti, leader of the opposition Republicans party in France, said the chaotic security situation was a national embarrassment.
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