Parisians are protesting the raised retirement age in Paris, France, by throwing trash through the streets which started on March 16^th and is ongoing today.

Emmanuel Macron has been the president of France since 2017. He has acknowledged those against the changes in the pension system and believes they have the right to protest. He has had this change planned since he became president, but instead of it going through the parliament, he used his power to put the change into effect. His reputation has been permanently damaged.

Ms. Donathan, the French teacher at HVHS says, “I don’t think Parisians are overreacting, because it is through little-by-little insidious increases that countries find their retirement ages ending up as high as ours, so fighting at each small step is how to prevent the overall loss, I think.”

France’s retirement age is still relatively young when compared to those in other countries. For example, in the USA the retirement age is at 67.

Many protesters have vowed to continue protesting until something is changed. The streets were originally filled with burning, smelly trash, but as time goes on with no results guaranteed, citizens are getting angrier and resorting to violence. Some of Paris’ most infamous tourist locations are closing because of strikers.

“If I were in a country that has a good retirement system like France, I would certainly want to fight to keep it too,” says Ms. Donathan.