French Riot
Retirement Pension Creates French Tension
On January 19, 2023, French president Emmanuel Macron introduced pension reforms that increased the retirement age from 62 to 64. The majority of French citizens, even minors, were in an uproar, but their anger is understandable. Macron made this decision because he felt it was what France needed. France’s former retirement age of 62 was lower than that of other European countries, which has led elders to outnumber workers. This imbalance of the groups wouldn’t be stable for funding government pensions. The riots that emerged from this pension are described as fiery, violent, and unreal to the eye. A thousand fires were started by the rioting citizens. There was even a dance group, The Rosies, that danced against the pension!
