(MAINSTREAM MEDIA SOURCES INCLUDING FRANCE 24 AND BFM-TV USED IN CONNECTION WITH THIS POST)
The debate over President Emmanuel Macron's 'pension reform' intense in the National Assembly where the "Left" faction was tabled thousands of amendments leading to a long drawn out debate.
On Friday supporters of President Macron in the assembly dropped intense accusations that the "Left" was "nostalgic for the guillotine".
It was also said that the pension reform opponents longed for the days of "The Terror" during the French Revolution.
But in the end the debate ended at Midnight Friday night without a full examination of the text of the legislation as the government moved the proposal onto the Senate.
The Senate must act by March 12th then "pension reform" goes back to a joint committee of both the Assembly and Senate the final deadline for passage March 26th.
One option a 'nuclear option' if the pension scheme does not command a majority in the National Assembly on March 26th is for President Macron to invoke Article 49.3 of the Constitution forcing passage without legislative approval.
As the debate between the "Left" and the "Centrist" Macron factions of the National Assembly raged a more quiet opposition from the National Rally and its legislative leader, Marine Le Pen.
Le Pen proposing a handful of amendments and imploring the government to back away from its planned changes to France's pension system like raising the retirement age to 64 from 62 and shuffling benefits.
She is letting the fighting go on between Macron and the Left with no certainty as to how it will play out in the weeks ahead.
One cannot rule out January 6th style performances in France as the government and its mainstream media backers seek to find some way to break the opposition.
Thursday the latest day of strikes and street protests with organizers saying the opposition to Macron's pension plan brought out crowds totaling 1.3 million across France. The government came up with an estimate of 440,000.
But all eyes look towards March 7th when a planned operation by the Left and labor unions opposing pension reform will seek to "shut down" France.
A massive strike will be launched that day and the mainstream media using one of its weapons of choice opinion polling says almost 60 percent of the French public supports it. That's less than the two-thirds they track opposing the pension reform proposal.
It is vital for the government to turn that number the other way so March 7th may end being a day where something resembling a January 6th event may be sprung.
Today in Paris another Saturday protest by the Yellow Vests. A video stream appeared it may be taken down as protesters gathered in Paris in the afternoon,..
VIDEO STREAM PARIS YELLOW VESTS PROTEST WEEK 223 SATURDAY 2/18/2023
SECOND VIDEO STREAM YELLOW VESTS PARIS SATURDAY 2/18/2023
Outside of Paris in La Ciotat near Marseille dozens of Yellow Vests taking over a toll plaza giving motorists free access to a privately owned toll road given away by the government.
This form of protest goes back to the early days of the Yellow Vests movement back in 2018...
Getting back to the pension reform story a move by Marine Le Pen and the National Rally to censure the Macron government over its scheme turned down. Only 89 deputies aligned with the RN supporting it.
That's the story of France and the Yellow Vests for this week.
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