Left-wing members of the French opposition have written to President Emmanuel Macron asking him to “give up” on his “disastrous” reform of the country’s pension system.
French President Emmanuel Macron should “give up” on his “disastrous” reform of the country’s pension system and put the issue to a public vote. So say the elected members of numerous left-wing political parties in a letter asking the head of state to reverse course on the highly controversial changes.
The request comes ahead of another day of protests on Thursday, many of which are likely to devolve into violent clashes with police as public anger against the Macron administration rises, while the President himself is out of the country visiting China.
In a letter seen by broadcaster BFMTV, a variety of French parliamentarians and senators have now asked Macron to back down on the issue, saying that the head of state has lost the public with the reforms, and that a rethink is now in order.
“For more than two months, a social movement, historic in its trade union unity, its scope and its determination, has not ceased to express its refusal to you,” the letter sent to Macron reads.
It goes on to criticise the French President for seemingly inflaming tensions with his recent rhetoric, with the politicians criticising the neoliberal leader for claiming that the “hundreds of thousands of French people” involved in the protest “have no legitimacy“.
“Your refusal to listen to the people fuels their anger and creates an unprecedented social, political and democratic crisis,” they went on to warn, adding that his changes now have clearly been “rejected by the majority of the people”.
The letter finalises with a request from the leftist politicians for Macron to meet with them in order to discuss the issue, a request that seems unlikely to be met considering recent trends.
While some elements within the French government have been keen to come to a compromise with the opposition and the general public regarding reforms, Macron and his allies have been bullheaded when it comes to the issue, lashing out at any attempt to curb the reforms.
How long the head of state can maintain such a stance remains to be seen, with ongoing protests and strike action now having a significant effect on the country’s infrastructure.
The Paris region appears to be the most badly hit part of the country by the political unrest, with the city having to deal with mountains of trash over the last number of weeks as the bin men engaged in a previously indefinite strike.
With that strike now behind them, the city is currently experiencing a growing fuel crisis, with 40 per cent of the capital’s gas stations now running critically low on fuel amid strikes at French refineries.