Where the executive feared to see a tsunami of violence crossing the whole country, only a few scattered eddies came to disrupt the tenth day of mobilization against the pension reform.
While the services of the Ministry of the Interior anticipated
“
very significant risks of disturbing public order”,
the chaos so hoped for by the thugs did not take place on Tuesday.
In the regions, the most notable incidents broke out in Rennes, with scuffles around the town hall.
In Nantes, a bank branch was set on fire and the administrative court targeted.
In Bordeaux, groups of demonstrators harassed the police at the end of the procession.
Overall, at nightfall, the call for calm, launched the day before by the Minister of the Interior, seemed to have been heard.
A good part of the some
“thousand radical elements”
announced were not there.
The strong presence of 13,000 police and gendarmes - a device comparable to that put in place during the semi-final of the Football World Cup between France and Morocco - showered the dreams of "big night".
Read also Pensions: Emmanuel Macron pressed by his camp to reach an agreement with the unions
At 6:30 p.m., the mobilization was down: out of 214 cities analyzed, 740,000 demonstrators were counted in France, according to police figures, against 836,000 on March 23 and 1.036 million on March 7 at the same time. after data collected by
Fig Data
.
This ebb is particularly linked to the specter of violence, which has driven families and retirees away, as well as a possible weariness after three months of futile demonstrations.
Youth is a point of support, the government knows that we can play a turning point, we will not give in.
It's a showdown, we think we can win
Éléonore Schmitt, spokesperson for the student union L'Alternative
In Paris, the parade, strong of 93,000 people and left the Place de République, arrived at the Nation two hours in advance.
After a few clashes, the looting of a store and fires, police and gendarmes intervened, arresting 27 potential thugs.
Thanks to 10,000 checks, they also seized knives, mortar fireworks, knives and other hammers included in the war panoply of the black blocks.
Before the dispersal of the demonstrators, the tension was still palpable on the spot.
Read also Pension reform: discover the extent of the mobilizations in the big cities
On the course, graffiti hostile to the brigades for the repression of motorized violent actions (Brav-M) spoke volumes about the divorce between a section of the population and the wearers of the uniform.
While a "citizen" petition has collected more than 140,000 signatures on the site of the National Assembly to demand the "
dismantling
" of the Brav-M, Gérald Darmanin will be heard on the "
management of the maintenance of order
" in the coming days.
“We can change everything”
Meanwhile, against a background of denunciation of 49.3 and "police violence", youth organizations still wanted to believe in it, despite a declining mobilization.
“
We know that we can change everything
,”
enthused the Fidl, a high school student union which claimed on March 28
“
more than 500 blocked high schools”.
In the ranks of these young demonstrators, the attacks against the executive accumulate and the demands are mixed, beyond the pension reform.
Read alsoDid the street cause the dismissal of prime ministers?
“
We will go even further.
We are asking for the withdrawal of
Parcoursup
and the new baccalaureate
, ”
says Manès Nadel, federal manager of La Voix lycéenne, who announced 450 blocked establishments.
Figures far higher than official reports from National Education, which reported 53 incidents (against 78 during the last mobilization, March 23), including 41 blockages (against 64, last week).
“
The voltigeurs have killed, the Brav-M will reiterate
”,
could we read on signs in front of the Lycée Turgot (Paris 3rd), where the young people let the students come to pass a baccalaureate specialty test.
More visible in the processions, the students called for the mobilization of young people to be
“
massified
”
.
“
The youth is a point of support, the government knows that we can play a turning point, we will not give in.
It's a standoff, we think we can win
, ”
said Éléonore Schmitt, spokesperson for the student union L'Alternative.
Access to university sites was disrupted in several cities, including Paris, Lyon, Lille, Bordeaux, Rennes or Nice.
