French left protests Sunday to increase pressure on Macron
Paris, Oct 16 (EFE).- The French left is scheduled to demonstrate Sunday in the Place de la Nation in Paris to protest the cost of living and climate change, a rally that represents a new order to President Emmanuel Macron’s government.
The protest, supported by most leftist parties except the communists, is a prelude to the national mobilization called by unions for Tuesday, when key sectors of the country, such as transport or education, could be paralyzed. It comes as a refinery strike has left a large part of the country without supplies.
La France Insoumise, the main progressive force and the third largest in parliament, the Greens and the Socialists, among others, hope to gather tens of thousands at a protest that put authorities on alert for possible altercations on the part of the ultra-left or the Yellow Vests.
According to Franceinfo, some 2,000 agents will be stationed at the demonstration in which there could be between 400 and 500 individuals considered potential dangers to public order.
The refinery strike started on Sep. 27 by the CGT union has been the starting point of the social unrest that has permeated France in recent weeks.
Due to this strike, about a third of French gas stations have often run out of fuel, leaving many motorists without means of transport amid gigantic queues and scenes of panic to fill the tank.
Although TotalEnergies has reached an agreement with two major unions, the CGT’s refusal to sign the 5 percent wage increase for workers and technicians keeps the supply of gasoline in France in check. EFE
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