Flames Rising Nearby... French Citizens Keep Eating Without Stopping

Video of Calm Citizens Amid Pension Reform Protests
"In France, Rights and Meals Are Most Important"

As large-scale protests against the French government's pension reform continue across cities, a video showing citizens leisurely enjoying their meals amid the chaos is gaining popularity.

According to foreign media such as the US 'New York Post' on the 26th (local time), videos featuring French citizens have recently been spreading on video streaming platforms like TikTok.

The video shows citizens peacefully dining at outdoor tables amid escalating protests. Despite flames rising nearby and shouts and loud noises filling the streets, they remain focused on eating and conversing. A woman sitting at another table is engrossed in texting on her phone, while a man is even seen making a phone call.

Despite protests against the pension reform plan, scenes of French citizens focusing on their daily lives [Image source=TikTok]

The footage was reportedly taken on the 23rd at Place de la Victoire in Bordeaux, southern France, during the peak of protests against the government's pension reform. At that time, protesters reportedly smashed windows of nearby buildings and set fires in the streets. A fire also broke out at the main entrance of Bordeaux City Hall, which was extinguished after about an hour.

Netizens worldwide who watched the video admired the intense protest culture of the French and the contrasting calmness of other citizens going about their business. Comments included, "Maybe because protests are part of daily life, people look so peaceful," and "Nothing is more important to the French than their rights and their meals."

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a pension reform plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 and, on the 16th, pushed the bill through by invoking a special constitutional provision (Article 49, Paragraph 3) that allows passing legislation without a vote in the lower house.

In response, large-scale protests erupted across France. On the 23rd, the French Ministry of the Interior estimated that about 1,089,000 people took to the streets nationwide, with 119,000 participating in protests in the capital, Paris, alone.

To persuade the opposing public opinion, President Macron conducted a live interview on the afternoon of the 24th with TF1 and France 2 broadcasts. During the interview, he reaffirmed his determination to push the reform by stating, "The longer we wait, the worse the government's deficit caused by the current pension system becomes." However, tensions continue as major French labor unions have since issued statements opposing the reform.