Anti-capitalist demonstrators vandalized a McDonald’s
outlet, along with banks and estate agent shops, in Paris on Sunday as part of
the worldwide May Day protests.

May 1, synonymous with International Labor Day saw rallies
across France, with citizens angry at the policies of the newly elected
president Emmanuel Macron particularly his intention
of revising the retirement age from 62 to 65, claiming it as
the only way to secure workers’ pensions.

Many businesses including McDonalds were both looted, with
windows smashed in and furniture toppled over on the ground,
according to videos doing rounds on the internet. Graffiti next to one of
the stores proclaimed ‘anticapitalisme’, meaning anti-capitalism in French. Another footage shows a
firefighter being assaulted in the street while attempting to extinguish fires.

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Why are May Day protests happening?

The protests erupted as citizens objected French
President Emmanuel Macron‘s intended reform of the retirement age in
France. The present retirement age in France is 62, and Macron has contended
that, the country’s pension system should change in order to accommodate the
increasing average lifespan of people. He argued that the as the pension
system cannot be financially balanced without the proposed modification owing
to its reliance on those still employed, paying directly for
those who have retired.

This was not, however, how the proposal originated. His
proposed plan was to raise the retirement age by four months every year until
it reached 65 by 2032.

Before the 2017 election, the president made a similar
pledge, but the final recommendations were received with protests before being
suspended owing to the coronavirus outbreak.

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Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire in April told CNBC that
it was “risky, but necessary.”

“It is a necessity if you want to improve the global
prosperity of the French nation … Because that’s the best way of protecting
our social model. That’s the best way of giving the guarantee to all the French
citizens that they will have access to a fair and efficient pension
system,” he said.

In the interview, he also stated that the alternatives would
be to raise taxes or reduce pension amounts, both of which he stated the government
wanted to avoid.

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Macron was re-elected to a second term in office after a
successful campaign, making him the first ever French president to do so
in 20 years. The protests were led by Jean-Luc Melenchon who third in running
for the presidential election.

 “The parasitic violence of May 1 makes the march
of the unions invisible and serves as propaganda for our worst enemies.” Melenchon
stated in response to the unrest.

“May Day is the time to rally for a reduction in
working time,” he continued. “That reduction signifies one key
thing – that, workers should be getting a larger share of the wealth.”

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A total of 45 persons were detained. On Sunday, at least 5,000 officers in tactical gear were on duty in Paris, with water cannons and armored cars also stationed on the city’s streets.

France is not the only country witnessing protest marches. International Workers’ Day protests have taken place all across the world, and although some have remained peaceful, others have deteriorated into violence.