Garbage is piling up on the streets of Paris and growing rapidly. Read to know more about the newest symbol of protest.
Garbage piles up on the streets of Paris
A strike by Paris garbage collectors that crossed the 16th-day mark on Tuesday is taking a toll on the aesthetics of the city of love and lights. A huge majority of French people are opposing President Emmanuel Macaron’s move of raising the retirement age by two years. It increases the retirement age to 64 for most people and 59 for garbage collectors in the nation.
“I prefer Chanel to the stink. I’ve seen rats,” joked Vincent Salazar. Salazar is a 62-year-old artistic consultant living in the tony Left Bank neighborhood of the city. However, like several other strike-hardened Parisians, he doesn’t mind it. “I’m fortunate to live here, but I’m 200% behind these guys. They’re smelling it all day long. They should get early retirement,” he added.
More on the protest in France
Thanks to a special constitutional article President Macaron rammed the legislation through the parliament without a vote. Moreover, on Monday, the government won two no-confidence motions and ensure the adoption of the bill. But with garbage wrapping up politics, both unions organizing the protests and citizens are not ready to back down. The city hall on Monday revealed 9,300 tons of rubbish on the streets of Paris.
Some of the city’s narrow streets are choked with garbage, forcing people to pass through them in a single line. Additionally, the scent of rotting garbage is spreading through the air and driving away people from cafes and restaurants. Moreover, Unions are now planning nationwide strikes and marches on Thursday aimed at pressuring the government to withdraw the bill. “Garbage is a good way to protest. It has a big impact. Now we have to send out the fire, stop dancing,” stated Tony Gibierge. The 36-year-old is opening a restaurant in southern Paris. Gibierge is one of the many people demonstrating peacefully through Paris with music and dance. Their message is, “Nothing is over, and much of the garbage isn’t going anywhere quite yet.”
