Left group European parliamentarians urge halt to police violence in France

By Omer Tugrul Cam

BRUSSELS (AA) – Members of the EU Parliament on Thursday called on France to stop police violence against protesters objecting to the government's controversial pension reform.

More than 20 MEPs from the Left group held a demonstration in front of the EU Parliament building in Brussels carrying banners saying, "Stop the police violence in France," according to photos shared on Twitter by French MEP Leila Chaibi.

She accused French police of using "savage repression" toward the protesters.

The Left group said on Twitter: "While people in France exercise their democratic right to protest, they have been met with police violence. Today, MEPs sent a message against police brutality from the European Parliament. No more excuses, we cannot turn a blind-eye to abuses of power."

Since the French government announced the reform project in January, workers and trade unions have expressed growing outrage by holding demonstrations and walkouts.

The protests turned violent after President Emmanuel Macron decided on March 16 to use constitutional powers to bypass the parliamentary process and adopt the pension bill by force.

Some groups stepped up their acts of vandalism during the protests, and police intervened harder.

The reform project includes raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, requiring at least 43 years of work to be eligible for a full pension.

*Writing by Nur Asena Erturk in Ankara