Prohibited by prefectural decree, the demonstration against pensions and inflation took place this Saturday, after being authorized by the administrative court. Despite some excesses, the public authorities claim to have mastered the event.
The organizers had promised a “peaceful, family, festive demonstration” against pension reform and inflation. The police did however use tear gas, this Saturday, May 6, during the demonstration “against pension reform, inflation and police violence”.
But the balance sheet, 4 arrests, no injuries, remains much lower than that of last Monday (66 arrests, 6 demonstrators and 19 police officers injured).
The demonstration had first been prohibited, by prefectural decree, before being authorized again this afternoon by the administrative court, a few hours only before the departure of the procession, place Jean Macé.
The call having been relayed on social networks by “radical elements at the origin for several weeks of heavy damage to businesses and significant injuries to national police officers”, the authorities feared new violence, on the sidelines of the rally.
“There are always overflows, in all the demonstrations, on different scales, and it is independently of the will of the organizers, obviously”, declared a representative of the Collective general assembly of interprofessional struggle of Lyon, at the origin of the event and the referral to justice.
“Anyway, I was still going out… Rents go up, food goes up, everything goes up… Pensions don’t go up, salaries don’t go up. Is that a life?” exclaimed a demonstrator, very upset.
“A controlled event”
“The decree nevertheless made it possible to limit the influx of radical individuals and the police force prevented the demonstration from degenerating”, assures the prefecture, which admits having used tear gas to disperse the few groups targeting law enforcement.
The police system, “adapted to the circumstances and the availability of the police” would also have allowed the 650 demonstrators to evolve in relative calm.
To avoid the deterioration of businesses like last week, the route of the demonstration had been imposed by the prefecture on avenue Berthelot and boulevard des Tchécoslovaques.
Another call to demonstrate at 6 p.m., Place des Jacobins, is circulating on social networks.