Police in Paris are preparing for expected demonstrations on Sunday once morest the rising cost of living, nearly three weeks following the start of strikes that led to the closure of many gas stations across France.
Leftists opposed to the government of French President Emmanuel Macron organized the demonstration, which they said was also aimed at expressing their rejection of the government’s inaction in dealing with the problem of climate change. The police expect that 30,000 people will participate in the demonstrations, while a source told “AFP” that “fears of security incidents may be caused by radical leftists.”
Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of the left-wing “France Proud” party, planned the rally long before the current strikes began, but organizers hope the current labor movements will gain more momentum for their demonstration.
For her part, Manon Aubry, a representative from the “Proud France” party, stressed that “the rise in prices is intolerable, and it is the biggest decline in purchasing power in 40 years,” pointing out that “the time has come for workers, who are trying hard to earn a living, to benefit from the billions that you harvest.” Big companies as profits.
It should be noted that the dispute over wages in French refineries and fuel depots led to the closure of many gas stations, and various sectors of the economy felt its repercussions, as government data published by the French “BFMTV” network reported that 27.3% of gas stations suffer from a shortage of fuel. At least one substance, and at the level of the Paris region in particular, the percentage reached 39.9%, while 4 of the seven French refineries and one fuel depot are still out of service, following members of the hard-left General Confederation of Workers (CGT) working in the refineries rejected an offer to increase wages. Issued by the “Total Energy” group, and approved by other unions.
Macron’s government angered unions by forcing striking workers to return to work this week and open fuel depots, in a move that was upheld by the courts.
Source: Russia Today
