At the end of two tense nights in which hundreds of people have been arrested and numerous damages have been caused, the Police Prefecture banned protests both in the Parisian place de la concordeas in the outskirts Elysian Fields“due to public order risks”, reported French media.
The protests in the emblematic square began to be organized spontaneously and outside of unions or partys since Thursday, when the government of Emmanuel Macron approved by decree and without a vote the unpopular pension reform that raises the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 years.
La Concordia, known for the imposing Egyptian obelisk it houses, is a symbolic place of Parison the way between Elysée Palace and the National Assembly.
In a statement, the French National Union of Journalists (SNJ) today denounced the arrest on Friday of two informers during last night’s protest in La Concorde: Chloé Gence, from Le Média TV, and Paul Ricaud, on Boulevard Capucines, near the Opera Palace.
The circumstances of both arrests, supposedly produced while they were carrying out information coverage, are unknown for the moment. According to the union, the two are in custody at the neighborhood police station III.
Meanwhile, a demonstration continues to be called against the way in which the pension reform, scheduled to start at 6:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. GMT), at Place d’Italie (south of Paris).
Other cities in France have already held protests, such as Marseille (south), and in towns such as Mulhouse (eastern France) there were trade unionists who gathered around roundabouts, as in the time of the revolt of the “Yellow Vests” (2018),
Paris was not the only city with notable disturbances in the last 24 hours. In Lyon, there was an attempt to invade and burn the headquarters of a district council. About thirty people were arrested.
