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French President Emmanuel Macron appeared defiant on Tuesday after his government narrowly survived no-confidence votes, telling allies he would stand by his beleaguered prime minister.
Ignoring calls from opponents, Macron said there would be no government reshuffle, no fresh parliamentary elections and no referendum on his controversial pension reform, even in the face of widespread protests that have brought millions into the streets.
Police arrested another 234 people in Paris on Monday night during clashes between protesters and security forces, with several groups burning trash bins, bikes and other objects.
The latest unrest came after Macron’s centrist government narrowly survived two no-confidence motions in parliament on Monday, clearing the way for the legislation to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 to enter into force.
But anger over the government’s decision to invoke a notorious constitutional power to force the reform through the National Assembly without a vote last week has dismayed many ruling party MPs and caused more fury on the streets.
“The reform is adopted but it is not seen as legitimate in the eyes of French people,” political scientist Jerome Jaffre told France Inter radio on Tuesday.
“That’s a source of problems, of bitterness, and it’s far from being resolved.”
There were also clashes in eastern cities Dijon and Strasbourg overnight, while protesters blocked traffic in other parts of the country.