Police Spray Substance at Protesters in Bordeaux as Pension Reform Protests Continue
Police in Bordeaux, southern France, sprayed a substance at a crowd of protesters in the city’s main shopping street, footage posted on Friday, March 17, showed.
Demonstrators marched through Bordeaux following the French government’s decision to force through pension reforms without a parliamentary vote.
Social media users said the footage shows police pepper spraying Estelle Morizot, president of homeless charity La Maraude du Coeur de Bordeaux. Storyful could not confirm whether Morizot is the person seen in the footage, nor whether the substance was pepper spray.
On Thursday, the French government used a special constitutional power known as Article 49:3 to raise the retirement age in France from 62 to 64. Speculation that the move would take place has prompted nationwide strikes since January. Credit: Ab7 Media via Storyful
