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Hundreds of thousands of people in France protested President Emmanuel Macron’s plans to change the age of retirement.
The French government says that 123 police officers were injured and 80 protesters were arrested because of violence in cities in France on Thursday.
Thursday was the ninth day of protests in the country. Trains and planes were delayed because of strikes and protests. Teachers also stopped working.
Many people in France are angry because President Macron changed the age of retirement from 62 years old to 64 years old. The change was made without any voting.
In Paris, most people protesting were peaceful, but small groups of anarchists smashed shop windows and destroyed things in the city. The police tried to stop the violent groups with tear gas.
Airport workers blocked roads to Paris’s main airport, Charles de Gaulle. Garbage is piling up on the streets and electricity has gone out in some areas because those workers are also on strike.
On Wednesday, Macron said that the new law goes into effect at the end of this year.
President Macron is in his last term as the leader of France. He thinks that France’s retirement system needs to be changed so that it doesn’t run out of money.
Opponents have suggested different ideas, like increasing taxes for rich people or companies. Macron, who was an economic minister, thinks that those ideas could hurt the financial system.
Vocabulary
- Hundreds of thousands – a number between 200,000 and 1,000,000
- Protest – an event where people come together to show strong disapproval/disagreement about something; demonstration; rally
- President – leader; the top person in a large company, organization, or country; boss
- Retirement – the period of life after your career; a time when you’re older and don’t work anymore;
- Injured – hurt; wounded; harmed; to have damage to your body
- Arrest – If the police arrest you, they take charge of you and take you to a police station; to use the power of the law to take and/or hold someone; detain; apprehend
- Violence – using physical force/power to cause harm, damage, or injury;
- Delayed – late; postponed; suspended; not on time; slowed down
- Strike – a work stoppage organized by employees to demand better working conditions or higher wages; when employees agree to stop working and try to get more money from their employer
- Voting – the action of choosing someone or something in an election; when each person in a group says their choice for something
- Peaceful – without violence; not connected to war or fighting
- Anarchist – a person who doesn’t believe in having a government or other structures that control people’s lives; a person who doesn’t want government or strong leaders
- Smash – to break something into small pieces or fragments
- Destroy – to “end” something by damaging it or attacking it; wreck; demolish
- Tear gas – a chemical that hurts your eyes and makes you cough, and is used to make crowds of people run away or control riots
- Block – to stop or prevent something from happening or moving forward; to prevent/stop someone or something from passing through
- Garbage – waste material or unwanted things that are thrown away; trash
- Pile up – to grow; to increase in quantity; accumulate
- Electricity – power; current; energy used to operate lights, TVs, etc.
- Go out – to stop functioning or operating; to stop working
- Law – a rule, regulation, or guideline set by the government
- Go into effect – to begin or start; to be valid or apply
- Term – a specific/limited length of time that someone holds a job; a specific/certain length of time for a contract or agreement
- Leader – someone who is in charge of a group, organization, or country; a boss or manager; a person who guides, directs, or commands a group
- Retirement system – the programs and policies that help people save money and get an income after they stop working
- Run out of – to use up all of the supply; to have no more; exhaust; consume all of; to be out of
- Opponent – a person or group that is against you; a person/group that disagrees or is trying to beat you; enemy; challenger
- Tax – money that a government requires people or businesses to pay
- Economy – the system according to which the money, industry, businesses, and trade of a country/region are organized; the supply of money, production of goods, and purchase of goods; the flow of money between people, businesses and government
- Minister – a government person in charge of a department; government secretary; politician
- Financial system – the way money is handled and exchanged, including banks, stock markets, and other ways people can invest and make money
Quiz
Discussion Questions
- What do you think about the retirement age change in France? In your opinion, what’s a good age for retirement?
- Do you think that protests and strikes are effective ways to bring about change in a country? Are there better ways to make change?
- What are some potential negative effects if the strikes and protests go on longer in France? How will they affect other people, businesses, and the economy?
