Protests erupt across France as anger over pension reform grows

*Photo: Twitter / Screen Shot (Fair Use)*

On Monday night, numerous people protested in France against pension reform, following the government’s survival of two votes of no-confidence.

After the French prime minister and her government tried to push pension reform through parliament without a vote in the Assemblée Nationale, protests broke out throughout France on Monday night, the Local France reported.

Despite two votes of no-confidence, the government managed to survive. The centrist Liot coalition’s first vote received 278 votes, nine short of the required 287 MPs to overthrow the government.

The far-right National Rally party’s second vote was overwhelmingly defeated, as reported by the Local France.

Several French cities experienced clashes between protesters and police in the aftermath of the votes.

French police arrested 287 people throughout France throughout Monday night, 234 of which were in the capital, according to Le Parisien.

After the vote results were declared, opposition leaders called for a procession of several hundred people to gather near the Place Vauban in Paris.

As the police started to remove the protesters, smaller groups dispersed, with some setting fire to garbage cans and vandalizing billboards, particularly in the vicinity of the Saint-Lazare train station.