PARIS — French public union employees have launched protests through the weekend in what could be the country’s largest strike in more than two decades.
When the Washington Examiner asked if the strike would match the 1995 protests that shut down public transportation for 22 days, a police officer at Gare du Nord train station replied, “We hope ‘no,’ but we don’t know.”
Commuters and tourists — those who made it into the city this morning before flights and trains were canceled — were greeted in Paris by singing protesters brandishing signs denouncing French President Emmanuel Macron’s proposal to consolidate dozens of pension programs into a single system for public and private sector employees.
The French transportation union voted Thursday to extend the strike through Monday, when Macron hosts world leaders for a Normandy Format summit on the future of Ukraine, against the backdrop of mass protests. The summit aims to negotiate, under the supervision of France and Germany, a resolution to the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
An affable Belgian commuter who works in France was surprised when the Washington Examiner told him that prominent world leaders, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, will be in the city during the strike.
“Coming in Monday? That’s not going to be fun,” said Sam, the Belgian commuter, before continuing to scan the station monitors for an alternative route home.
The French outcry is stoking unease among Europeans who support Ukraine, which is embroiled in a war with Russia, as the allies want Macron to provide firm backing for Zelensky throughout his meeting with Putin.
“I would not be so worried about [Macron seeming weak] at Normandy, but about Macron in urgent need of ‘victories’ abroad to sustain his standing at home,” a European diplomat told the Washington Examiner, on the condition of anonymity. “Rushing the agreement through Normandy would benefit Putin, who is well aware of what Macron needs, especially being the host.”
Putin is familiar with protests. Thousands of people took to the streets of Moscow and other cities throughout Russia last year in response to his attempt to increase the nation’s retirement age.
