French film and TV stars back petition against Macron’s pension reform; State visit by King Karl postponed due to unrest

More than 300 leading figures from the French film and television world have joined a petition denouncing President Emmanuel Macron’s government’s controversial pension reform.

French stars Juliette Binoche, Audrey Fleurot, Camille Cottin, Swann Arlaud, Jeanne Balibar, Bérenice Béjo, Laure Calamy, Camille Cottin, Pierre Deladonchamps and Noémie Merlant; Among the signatories were directors Michel Hazanavicius, Alice Diop, Kim Chapiron, Maimouna Doucouré, Robert Guédiguian and Alain Guiraudie, and producer Saïd Ben Saïd.

“It is high time that our voices are heard, because film, theatre, culture, even if they sometimes offer dreams and opportunities for escape, speak above all of our world,” says an open letter to Macron, which accompanies the petition.

The petition was started under the banner of the Cinema Entertainment Collective liberation newspaper website Thursday afternoon, as a nationwide strike brought public services to a standstill and violence erupted across the country as protesters clashed with the country’s notoriously hardline CRS riot police.

As part of the reforms, the statutory retirement age in France will be gradually raised by two years to 64 in 2030, while the period over which workers must pay social security contributions will be increased from 42 to 43 years to receive a full state pension until 2030 .2027.

Macron’s government, led by Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, fueled anger over the measures after he pushed through the reform bill without a parliamentary vote, relying on Article 49:3 of the constitution.

“They chose to implement a pension reform that is unfair, ineffective, hits the most vulnerable and women the hardest and is opposed by the vast majority of the population and even a minority in the National Assembly,” the petition reads. . “We say we are against this reform and the method of enforcing 49.3.”

The petition added that the reforms will not only affect public sector workers but also entertainment industry professionals, especially women.

“As for our professions, our Ministry of Supervision [the Ministry of Culture] did not respond to requests for a study on the impact of the reform, particularly on artists and technicians on temporary contracts and film producers.

“Surveys have sufficiently shown that women are even more insecure than men and that roles after 50 are less common for, for example, actresses.”

“Unless the most famous among us are hit hardest by the extension of the retirement age and the increase in contributions, we know that it is not possible to work longer now that more and more people are unemployed, in dire circumstances, suffering . at work and even threaten to die before they even reach retirement age.”

Political experts inside and outside France say Macron, who cannot run for re-election as president because he is in his second term, is unlikely to back down on reforms despite the strikes and protests.

Union action and protests are expected to continue in the coming days and weeks, with unions calling for another nationwide strike on March 28.

Against this backdrop, a state visit by Britain’s King Charles to France next week, as part of his first official trip abroad since becoming king, has been postponed.

King Charles and Queen Camilla were due to travel to France and then Germany for a three-day visit on Sunday (March 26).

The official program included a wreath-laying ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, the opening of a new Manet and Degas exhibition at the Musée d’Orsay, a state banquet in Paris and a visit to the city of Bordeaux in southwestern France.

Bordeaux city hall, which was due to host an event for the king, briefly caught fire during protests on Thursday, with the flames severely damaging the ornate wooden front door.

French MP Mireille Clapot, who is a member of Macron’s La République en Marche party, dismissed suggestions to postpone the trip in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s Today Morning news program on Friday.

“He is welcome. Don’t worry, safety is guaranteed and it’s good to promote friendship between France and Britain,” she said.

The Presidential Palace of the Elysée announced a few hours later that a decision had been made to postpone the trip.

“Following yesterday’s announcement of a new national day of action against pension reforms on Tuesday 28 March in France, the visit of King Charles III, initially scheduled for 26-29 March, will be postponed. postponed in our country,” the newspaper said. Frame.

“This decision was taken by the French and British governments following a telephone conversation this morning between the President of the Republic and the King to pronounce His Majesty King Charles III. welcome on terms consistent with our friendship. This state visit will be postponed as soon as possible.”