The French President’s contentious project to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 is now a reality,despite millions protesting it.
The King’s first state visit has been postponed as protests against pensions reform continue to rage across France.
A successful no-confidence vote would have almost certainly killed the legislation and brought down the government,probably forcing new elections.
Thousands have marched in France at the weekend angered by a rise in the pension age,as the president’s government faces two votes of confidence on Monday.
The French president,facing defeat on a policy he has invested much of his shrinking authority on,took a last-minute decision to avoid a knife-edge vote.
Cars were overturned,at least one vehicle was burnt,shop windows were damaged and fires set alight near Republic Square.
Police fired tear gas to push back black-clad anarchists who ransacked business premises in the French capital on Sunday.
Police are reluctant to bring up old memories with heavy-handed tactics,but allowing the encampment protest to bubble has given rise to talk of holding the line “until the end” and even “bloodshed”.
The movement unites a disparate mix on both the right and the left,including anti-vax,coronavirus deniers,conspiracy theorists and right-wing extremists.
“Every morning when I awake,every night when I sleep,I think of you,” Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin told the crowd of police.
Dozens of hooded protesters launched projectiles at riot police,smashed up shop windows,torched cars and burned barricades during a demonstration in the French capital against police violence.