Paris, Apr 15 (EFE).- French President Emmanuel Macron signed the contentious pension reform into law on Saturday following three months of strikes and protests against it.

The government warned Friday that it intended to enact the law this weekend and it was published in France’s gazette of record on Saturday, making the reform official.

On Friday, the country’s highest constitutional court approved key elements of the reform, including the banner issue – raising the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64 years.

The court’s Constitutional Council rejected an opposition request for the pension reform to be put to a referendum.

People carry placards reading: ‘The wisdom is in the street and not in the council’ (L) and ‘The youth is in the street’ during a rally after the proclamation of the Council’s decision about the government’s pension reform text in Paris, France, 14 April 2023. EFE/EPA/TERESA SUAREZ

On the other hand, the council rejected six measures, including two related to employment of workers over 55 years of age by large companies, considering that they had no place in the social security financing law.

The court’s approval sparked demonstrations and riots overnight in several cities.

In Paris there were fires, including some 30 garbage bins that were set alight, and clashes between police and protesters that led to 112 arrests.

In Rennes, the door of a police station and the entrance to an old religious building were set on fire at the end of a protest by several hundred young people. EFE

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