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      pensions

      People march in Paris on April 13, 2023 to protest French President Emmanuel Macron's attack on the country's pension system.

      French Pension Defenders Rally on Eve of High Court Ruling

      "As long as this reform isn't withdrawn, the mobilization will continue in one form or another," said one union leader.

      Kenny Stancil
      Apr 13, 2023

      Workers opposed to French President Emmanuel Macron's deeply unpopular plan to raise the nation's retirement age from 62 to 64 hit the streets Thursday in a final display of anger before the country's top court rules on the measure's constitutionality.

      While thousands of people marched along the designated route in Paris, some protesters carrying lit flares diverged to the Constitutional Council, which is set to decide Friday whether to uphold Macron's proposed pension overhaul or rescind it partially or completely.

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      Protesters march in Mulhouse, France on January 31, 2023.

      US Corporate Media Celebrate France's Attack on Pensions

      Which side are the editorial boards on? It's very plain to see.

      Conor Smyth
      Apr 09, 2023

      “The Party Is Ending for French Retirees.” That’s the headline the Wall Street Journal (3/14/23) went with just days before French President Emmanuel Macron invoked a special article of the constitution to bypass the National Assembly and enshrine an increase in the retirement age in national law. The Journal proclaimed:

      The golden age of French pensions is coming to an end, one way or another, in an extreme example of the demographic stress afflicting the retirement systems of advanced economies throughout the world.

      The possibility that this “golden age” could be extended is not even entertained. Due to previous “reforms” (CounterSpin, 9/17/10), the pension of the average French person is already facing cuts over the coming decades. So preserving the current level of benefits would require strengthening the system. For the Journal, this is out of the question. Stingier pensions, on the other hand, are portrayed as the inevitable result of “demographic stress,” not policy choices.

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      France
      Trade union leaders march in Paris on April 6, 2023 to protest French President Emmanuel Macron's attack on the country's pension system.

      'Either Trade Unions Win This, or It Will Be the Far Right': Labor Sees High Stakes in French Pension Fight

      A new poll shows that Marine Le Pen would beat French President Emmanuel Macron in a head-to-head rematch, making the left's struggle against Macron's pension attack a struggle for democracy in France.

      Kenny Stancil
      Apr 07, 2023

      As French workers intensify their fight against President Emmanuel Macron's deeply unpopular plan to raise the nation's retirement age from 62 to 64, the stakes couldn't be higher.

      A poll released Wednesday shows that reactionary lawmaker Marine Le Pen—leader of the far-right National Rally party, the largest opposition force in Parliament—would beat Macron by a margin of 55% to 45% in a head-to-head rematch. The neoliberal incumbent defeated Le Pen in a runoff election last April, but the openly xenophobic and Islamophobic challenger has gained significant ground since their first matchup in 2017.

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