mobilization figures in Paris and France

CHRISTOPHE ARCHAMBAULT / AFP

Demonstrators against the pension reform, in Paris, March 28, 2023.

SOCIAL – After the very strong day of mobilization on March 23 against the pension reform, the second largest since the start of the protest (3.5 million demonstrators according to the unions, 1.089 million according to the police), a backlash has is felt for that of this Tuesday, March 28.

In Paris, 450,000 people marched according to the CGT. This is almost half as much as on the last day of March 23, when the CGT had counted 800,000 demonstrators. The authorities gave the figure of 93,000 demonstrators, against 119,000 on March 23. According to police counts, this is the second highest turnout (equaled with that of February 11) in the capital.

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In the regions, in several large and medium-sized cities, the downward trend has been confirmed with a decline of between 20 and 50% compared to last week: between 11,000 (police) and 180,000 demonstrators (unions) in Marseille , against between 16,000 and 280,000 on March 23; between 10,000 (police) and 80,000 (unions) in Bordeaux, against between 18,200 and 110,000 on March 23; between 18,000 (police) and 60,000 (unions) in Nantes, against between 25,000 and 80,000 on March 23; between 12,500 (police) and 30,000 (unions) in Lyon, against between 22,000 and 55,000 on March 23; or between 3,700 (police) and 25,000 (unions) in Nice, against between 5,200 and 40,000 on March 23.

A bank branch burned down in Nantes

In total, 240 meeting points had been announced by the unions, not counting the spontaneous demonstrations, which have emerged since the use of 49-3 by Elisabeth Borne on March 16.

The student union Unef counted 400,000 young people in the French processions – 100,000 less than on March 23, the date of a turning point in the mobilization of high school and university students -, including 70,000 in Paris (150,000 on March 23 March), reports BFMTV.

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As during the day of mobilization under high tension on March 23, clashes broke out on the sidelines of certain processions. In the early afternoon in Nantes, a bank branch was set on fire. Garbage cans placed in front of the door of the administrative court were also set on fire, but the fire, which did not spread to the building, was extinguished using extinguishers.

In Paris, some members of a group of several hundred people looted a Leclerc business and lit a fire of garbage cans. Clashes between CRS and demonstrators were also observed at the head of the procession. At 5 p.m., 22 people had been arrested in the capital.

Plummeting strike rates

Note that 14 schools were completely blocked in France on Tuesday, and 27 others were targeted by filter blockages.

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In the trades, the rates of strikers were much lower than during the last day of mobilization: 8.37% among teachers (21.41% on March 23), 16.5% at the SNCF (25 % on March 23) or 6.5% in the public service (15.5% on March 23).

The graph below shows the total number of demonstrators for the previous days of action against the pension reform. The strongest mobilization remains for the moment that of March 7, during which 3.5 million demonstrators had been counted by the unions, and 1.28 million by the authorities.

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