(MAINSTREAM MEDIA SOURCES USED IN CONNECTION WITH THIS POST)
(NEWS, COMMENT AND ANALYSIS)
THE PROTEST IN CLERMONT-FERRAND, FRANCE THURSDAY MARCH 23, 2023 PART OF MASSIVE NATIONWIDE PROTESTS INVOLVING 3.5 MILLION PEOPLE ACCORDING TO ORGANIZERS
Normally French presidents do their TV interviews in prime time but Emmanuel Macron chose the mid-day news program for an interview on Wednesday in which he stood resolutely behind the pension reform plan he rammed through without a vote by legislators.
In addition to that Macron pointed to the protests in the streets saying that union grievances should be listened to and responded to but that there are others militant and extreme.
He said those kind of people protesting in the streets are like those who entered the US Capitol on January 6, 2021 or Brazilian government buildings on January 8th of this year.
Left-wing political leaders and union leaders said that Macron's comments guaranteed massive turnout for Thursday's protest and were a form of "incitement" of demonstrators.
A HUGE PROTEST TURNOUT THURSDAY UNION ORGANIZERS SAY 3.5 MILLION NATIONWIDE AND 800,000 IN PARIS.
THE GOVERNMENT CLAIMING ONLY 1.089 MILLION NATIONWIDE AND 119,000 IN PARIS.
THE GOVERNMENT'S HIGHEST EVER ESTIMATE FOR A PENSION REFORM PROTEST DAY IN RECENT WEEKS 1.1 MILLION IT ALMOST SEEMED AS IF THE GOVERNMENT WANTED TO PUT OUT A NUMBER SUGGESTING A DECLINE IN PROTESTERS.
On Friday Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin stressing 400 plus arrests and 400 plus injuries to police during the protests on Thursday. The Chambers of Commerce and Industry decrying 'violent' protests in 'blockades' that hurt small businesses.
President Macron Friday evening put the word out he was willing to talk to unions in France about issues other than pension reform like working conditions and retraining among other things.
But unions continue to be in the forefront of selective strike action workers have a liberal ability to strike in France while the government enjoys a liberal ability to force workers back to work in critical sectors like energy.
On Friday police knocked on the doors of six workers at an oil refinery in Donges to "requisition" them to keep the refinery in operation.
In the Alpes-Maritime region of southeastern France on Friday 15 percent of service stations had no fuel with 25 percent of the region's gasoline stations partially out of fuel.
Rail service is fragmented and sporadic right now in France some days half or more of normally scheduled trains are not operating.
On major protest days 20 percent or more of airline flights in France are also cancelled.
Electricity workers noting how they have been able to reduce the amount of electricity in the system. There have been targeted cutoffs of power to homes of elected government officials.
62,000 customers lost power in Toulouse between 5 and 7 pm on Thursday.
There is a process to complain about police conduct and it is being engaged in connection with the protests many examples cited of police intimidation, threats and outright use of force against the demonstrators.
The Council of Europe has also urged French police to stop the use of 'excessive force'.
Marine Le Pen, leader of the National Rally in the National Assembly, expressing her outrage regarding a threat against the four-month old baby of government member of the assembly Aurore Berge.
Le Pen saying any threats against government officials are "intolerable" and "must cease".
Emmanuel Macron, the one-time banker turned politician, was roasted over the removal of a luxury watch he was wearing during the Wednesday television interview.
The watch valued at 2,400 Euros (2,582.16 US Dollars).
The left-wing opposition saying this again demonstrates that Macron is 'the president of the rich'...
TODAY'S PROTESTS
Video from Paris where Yellow Vests are gathering for the weekly protest mainly interviews with people participating...
LIVE VIDEO YELLOW VESTS PROTEST PARIS WEEK 228 SATURDAY 3/25/2023
18 MINUTE VIDEO OF YELLOW VESTS PROTEST PARIS SATURDAY 3/25/2023
In Paris today a larger crowd than usual for these weekly Paris protests carrying on the Yellow Vests protests that began more than four years ago.
MAINSTREAM MEDIA FOCUS TODAY ON AN ENVIRONMENTALIST PROTEST WHERE THOUSANDS OF POLICE ARE ON HAND AND INJURIES ARE REPORTED.
THIS PROTEST IN SAINTE-SOLINE SOUTHWEST OF PARIS AND JUST NORTH OF BORDEAUX NOT TOO FAR FROM THE ATLANTIC COAST.
A NEW WATER RESERVOIR PROPOSED THERE THAT OPPONENTS SEE AS A PROJECT FOR BIG BUSINESS ENTITIES IN THE AGRICULTURE BUSINESS.
CLASHES TODAY WITH POLICE VIOLENCE DECRIED BY 'LEFT (LFI)' POLITICAL LEADER JEAN-LUC MELENCHON.
INTERIOR MINISTER GERALD DARMANIN SPEAKING OF THE 'UNSPEAKABLE VIOLENCE' OF THE 'ULTRA AND EXTREME LEFT'.
A PITCHED BATTLE THERE TODAY SOME ONE THOUSAND ANARCHIST TYPES ON HAND. SOME OF THEM TORCHING POLICE VEHICLES.
THERE WAS AN ORDER FROM THE PREFECT OF POLICE TO DISPERSE PROTESTERS.
THE POLICE SAID THERE WERE SIX THOUSAND DEMONSTRATORS WITH THE ORGANIZERS CLAIMING 25,000.
THE POLICE BROUGHT IN A HUGE FORCE OF THREE THOUSAND TO DEAL WITH THE PROTEST TODAY...
A VIDEO SHOWING THE GATHERING OF FORCES TODAY...
AND THIS VIDEO OF THE CONFLICT THAT ENSUED...
The leader of the Communists in France Fabien Roussel says that President Emmanuel Macron is creating a "civil war" climate in the country counting on the small numbers of violent protesters to turn public opinion now 65 to 75 percent against him the other way.
THE CGT UNION ANGERED BY THE INJURY OF ONE OF ITS MEMBERS IN THE PARIS PROTEST ON THURSDAY LOSING AN EYE DUE TO POLICE ACTION AGAINST THE PROTESTERS.
More live video from the Paris protest as it continued into the evening...
LATER LIVE VIDEO STREAM PARIS PROTEST EVENING SATURDAY 3/25/2023
A protest rally held in Bordeaux today with the pension reform issue front and center...
And in a television interview this weekend Russian President Vladimir Putin describing the ongoing protests in France saying "This is France's internal affair" noting that many countries are revising their pension systems...TASS RUSSIA
The next major day of strikes and protest in France over pension reform this coming Tuesday March 28th.
And that is the story of France and the Yellow Vests for this week.
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