Bordeaux city hall set on fire during protests against raising the retirement age in France

The city hall of Bordeaux was set on fire this Thursday by demonstrators during violent protests in France. The flame broke out at the front door of the building and was quickly extinguished. It remains to determine who is responsible for this act.

“I condemn this violence with the greatest vehemence, which has no other meaning than an attack on the common home of the inhabitants of Bordeaux,” added the mayor of the municipality, Pierre Hourmik, who shortly thereafter reported that “the intervention of fire and emergency services, as well as municipal services allowed to localize the fire, thus preserving the integrity of the structures.

In recent days, in connection with a project aimed at raising the retirement age from 62 to 64, thousands of people took to the streets to demonstrate their dissatisfaction with the measures taken by the French government. More than 170 people have already been arrested and there have been several clashes between demonstrators and police, Reuters reports.

“It is by protesting that we can make ourselves heard,” one protester told the AFP news agency, quoted by Reuters.

As a result of the clashes, several civilians and policemen were injured, including as a result of the use of tear gas, grenades, and shots. Photos and videos of violence taken during the protests can be seen on social media.

This Thursday was the ninth day of protests in France. In addition to the demonstrations, several workers were on strike, as was the case with the garbage workers who went on strike on March 6 and again announced a new stop the following Monday.

French President Emmanuel Macron broke his silence on the new policy, saying he would stand his ground and the law would go into effect by the end of the year. He compared the protests taking place in France to the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021.