Au Revoir, France: How pension protests are making the world’s most visited country undesirable

Love is no longer in the air in Paris. It’s gripped with tension and rage. Millions have poured onto the streets to protest against the recently passed pension reform. Day-long strikes have brought the city to a standstill. The world’s romance capital is stinking with garbage piled up on its cobbled lanes. The demonstrations are not restricted to Paris alone. They have spread to other cities and regions, many of them popular tourist destinations. France has been one of the most visited countries in the world – often at the top. But the romance of Parisian streets and the charm of Bordeaux’s châteaus are fast disappearing. The anger after President Emmanuel Macron rejected a proposal to pause his controversial pension reform plan – to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64 – is palpable and it’s likely to scare away visitors. Eiffel Tower, Louvre forced to shut President Macron went ahead with the decision to raise the French retirement age without a final vote in parliament last week. This has angered trade unions who have gone a strike. Protests have been raging in the city for more than 10 days. At least 72,000 have been demonstrating on the streets and 27 were arrested on Tuesday, according to the Interior Ministry. Paris is where tourists outnumber locals. It gets about 25 million international tourists a year, more than 10 times the city’s population. Now that the city has erupted in protest, many a holiday is getting ruined. As strikes continue unabated, the Eiffel Tower was forced to shut down. Its website announced on Tuesday that strikers had closed down the world-famous tourist attraction. [caption id=“attachment_12370382” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Employees hold banners and unions’ flags as they block the entrance of the Musee du Louvre to denounce the government’s controversial pension reform, in Paris. AFP[/caption] This comes a day after, the entrance to Louvre was blocked by reform protesters. They gathered at the foot of the museum’s glass pyramid. One banner read “Retire at 60… work less to live longer.” Eiffel Tower receives an average of 25,000 visitors a day and the Louvre has capped the number at 30,000 a day. The closure of two of the country’s most famous destinations has left tourists frustrated. “This is ridiculous, we come from everywhere in the world with our children to visit a museum and it’s ridiculous that 20 people are blocking the entrance,” said Samuel, a Mexican tourist who did not give his surname, told news agency Reuters. “I really understand where they’re coming from, and it’s fair enough. But we all would like to go and see Mona Lisa, but never mind,” complained Jane, another visitor from London. Separately, Paris police carried out an operation to prevent unauthorised gatherings in front of the Centre Pompidou, another landmark museum in the city, reports Reuters.

More explainers on the French pension protests: Explained: France’s nationwide strikes over Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms Will France’s pension protests turn into another yellow vest movement? Trash Troubles: Why are streets in France littered with heaps of garbage? Explained: Why France pension reforms are a reminder of India’s NPS vs OPS debate

Paris stinks Before strikes hit the city’s tourist hubs, visitors were put off by the stink gripping the city. Paris was covered in heaps of trash for weeks as garbage workers went on strike against the pension reform. Pictures and videos emerged of piles of litter in Parisian neighbourhoods and overflowing bins with a daily peak of 10,000 tonnes last week. That’s an unwelcoming sign of tourists who have flown into the City of Lights, allured by its imposing monuments and bustling museums and galleries. [caption id=“attachment_12370302” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] A pedestrian walks near the Eiffel Tower, past piles of garbage bags that have been pilled up since waste collectors went on strike against the French government’s proposed reform in Paris. Now the tourist destination has been forced to shut down. AFP[/caption] Thankfully, the rubbish will disappear soon. Garbage workers in the French capital are suspending their strike against pension reform starting Wednesday due to a dwindling number of strikers, reports Bloomberg. However, the public services branch of CGT union, one of the five major trade unions in the country, plans further discussions with various sector workers to “go on a bigger strike,” but faces a shortage of strikers, it said in a statement Tuesday. So, it might just be a matter of time before they regroup. The violence While Paris is among the worst-hit cities in France, the protests have spread to Rennes, Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Nantes.

As Macron remains defiant, the increasingly frustrated demonstrators have resorted to violence. At Paris’ Gare de Lyon railway station, protesters were seen walking on train tracks, according to CNN affiliate BFM. They also set fire to bins and threw projectiles at police in the French capital. In Nantes, a city in western France, a bank branch, cars and rubbish bins were set ablaze. Some also shot fireworks at police. Videos on social media verified by CNN showed smoke bombs being let off outside the entrance of Biarritz Airport, and the boarding area of the terminal, which forced authorities to order an evacuation. Last week, Terminal 1 at Charles de Gaulle airport, just north of Paris, was blocked. In Toulouse, another city popular among tourists, police used water cannons on Tuesday. In Bordeaux, which is the hub of France’s famous wine-growing region, some hooded people lit fires and projectiles were thrown. A town hall was set on fire last week. Lyon, the gastronomic capital of the world, also saw violent demonstrations. Police used water cannons to quell in stir in the southeastern city. In Lille, police used teargas after bus stops were smashed, according to media reports. Concerns over the violence prompted what Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin described as an unprecedented deployment of 13,000 officers, nearly half of them concentrated in Paris. [caption id=“attachment_12370402” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] People look at the burnt door of Bordeaux’s city hall, on 24 March, a day after it was set on fire by demonstrators. AFP[/caption] Fuel shortage, flights hit Air traffic controllers have also joined the strike. The civil aviation authority has asked airlines to cancel 20 per cent of flights going in and out of four airports – Paris Orly, Marseille, Bordeaux and Toulouse. Aviation authorities said that they expect to see cancellations on Wednesday. Other airports are likely to be affected by flight delays, according to The Local, the largest English news network in Europe. Only three out of five high-speed trains were running. Buses, trams and metro lines and local train services were reduced to a crawl across the country. On the Eurostar, two trains one from Paris to London and the other from London to Paris were cancelled on Tuesday, the report says. [caption id=“attachment_12370412” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] French gendarmes secure the area after the evacuation of the access to the oil terminal in Donges, western France. AFP[/caption] With oil refineries blockaded, there is also a shortage of fuel which is becoming a big problem for locals and tourists alike. Currently, around 15 per cent of petrol stations are reporting fuel shortages and long queues are common, particularly in Paris and Provence-Alpes-Côtes d’Azur, two of France’s major tourist regions, according to a report in Forbes. Since the strikes began, restaurants in Paris have lost anywhere between 20 to 30 per cent in revenue, recent data from the Hotelliere Association suggests. Eateries are wary to stay open fearing vandalism from angry protesters. [caption id=“attachment_12370422” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Riot police officers are sprayed with beer after a demonstration on Tuesday in Paris. AP[/caption] The image takes a hit France’s image as a safe tourist destination has taken a hit. It hasn’t helped that King Charles III’s state visit to the country has been postponed in the wake of the tension. There has been no official advisory from countries like the United States and the United Kingdom so far about travel to France. The UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office notes that demonstrations in Paris and other parts of France could turn violent and there could be “disruptions to road travel,” while ongoing strikes could “lead to disruption to services”, according to CNN. There has been no change in the advisory from the US since October 2022. [caption id=“attachment_12370432” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] People at an eatery as riot police officers stand outside after a demonstration in Paris. AP[/caption] Still welcoming tourists Amid all this, France continues to welcome tourists. “Life goes on as normal” despite strikes and protests, French government spokesman Olivier Véran told CNN. “I don’t want people to think that France is not capable of welcoming tourists. People both here and abroad shouldn’t worry, despite the protests and strikes, life goes on as normal, as French people living here can clearly see,” Véran said. But with restaurants shut, flights delayed and museums blocked, a holiday without hiccups seems unlikely in France. With inputs from agencies Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.