French Protests Against Retirement Age Increase Spark Violent Clashes, Offering Warning to Republicans

Mass protests have continued to rock cities across France as more than a million people took to the streets to oppose a new policy that raises the retirement age from 62 to 64 and requires workers to contribute to the pension system for longer. The new law is a priority of President Emmanuel Macron, who used a constitutional loophole to force the change into effect after it became apparent that parliament would reject it.

The protests have been mostly peaceful and led by union leaders, but there have been disruptions to transportation, air traffic, oil refineries, schools, and piles of trash, left out on the streets by striking garbage collectors, have become an emblem of the opposition.

However, violence broke out on Thursday as protesters set fire to the front door of the Bordeaux city hall and newsstands across Paris, hurled smoke bombs, and damaged property. Police tried to quell the protests with tear gas and water cannons late into the night. At least 149 police were injured, and 172 people were arrested. It’s not clear how many civilian injuries there were, and we don’t yet have estimates as to the extent of the damage.

President Emmanuel Macron, who narrowly survived a vote of no confidence this week, has said he has no intention of reversing the law. He claimed in a television appearance on Wednesday that he needed to convince the public that the reforms were necessary to save what he frames as the country’s endangered pension system, especially given higher life expectancy. But it’s not at all clear that current pension spending is out of control, and in making his claims, only added to protesters’ fury.

It’s difficult to imagine the same kind of mass protests breaking out in the US over raising the age at which people can start collecting Social Security. France’s size and strong unions help with protest cohesion, and the US has struggled to maintain intense public protests over time in recent decades. But they do offer a warning to those Republicans who have been agitating for reforms to Social Security, which they have also misleadingly framed as the only means of ensuring the program’s survival.

The Republican Study Committee, a group of House conservatives, proposed in their 2023 budget to gradually raise the retirement age in the US from 67 to 70 in light of longer life expectancies. Republicans have tried to frame such proposals as reforms that would keep the system solvent for future generations without touching the benefits for any current retirees or those close to retirement age.

Though there was speculation that this idea would be a sticking point in debt ceiling talks, Republican House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy took the issue off the table last month following backlash from moderates in the party and relentless Democratic attacks. The idea, however, remains a topic of discussion among some Republicans, including the party’s presidential candidates.

It’s worth noting that an American can start claiming Social Security benefits as early as 62, but they will only reap their highest monthly benefits at age 70 under the Delayed Retirement Credit, which was implemented in the early 1970s. The average American currently retires at age 64, but that might partially be because they don’t know that they will get a higher benefit if they hold off.

Raising the retirement age further, despite what Republicans may say, is effectively a cut to benefits given that a retiree gets less money over a shorter period. According to an analysis by CBS’s Aimee Picchi, the average retiree would lose out on three to four years in benefits under Republicans’ plan, amounting to a minimum of $65,000. That’s critical, especially given that other sources of retirement income such as employer-provided pensions have dried up over the years, taxes on Social Security benefits have increased, and Medicare premiums have risen.