Carla Bruni trashes Paris’s mayor…by mocking out-of-control garbage crisis
Former First Lady Carla Bruni of France has ridiculed the mayor of Paris by posing with a huge pile of trash as protests over pension reforms continue.
The latest round of protests against a bill passed by the French parliament raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 has been underway since Thursday and has led to hundreds of arrests across the country.
Paris police said on Tuesday that 234 people had been arrested in the capital, mainly for setting fire to rubbish in the street. The strike of the garbage collectors in Paris has started for the 16th day today.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday to her 772,000 followers, which included several flower emojis, singer and fashion model Bruni, 55, wrote: “Printemps!!! Ecco la primavera! Spring is here! Thanks @annehidalgo’.
Anne Hidalgo, the socialist mayor referenced in the post, has said she fully supports the strikers and is refusing to help police.
In an Instagram post on Tuesday to her 772,000 followers, which included several flower emojis, singer and fashion model Bruni, 55, wrote: “Printemps!!! Ecco la primavera! Spring is here! Thanks @annehidalgo’
Garbage cans overflowing with rubbish on the street as collectors go on strike on March 20, 2023 in Paris, France
Bruni, the wife of former President Nicolas Sarkozy, is known to have made political statements on her social media accounts in the past.
In April 2021, she attacked the awake culture sweeping through France in a lengthy Instagram post.
She wrote, “Little by little and without warning, do-gooders and censorship have taken over.
“Obsessed by their image as moralists, a lot of people with no culture, no experience, and no courage try to force their narrow ideas on us.”
General Assembly of the CGT Cheminots de Versailles and the blocking of the rails at Versailles Rive Droite and Versailles Chantier stations, as well as at a Monoprix in Versailles with about 200 demonstrators, to protest the pension reform of the Emmanuel Macron government, on March 20 , 2023
French CRS riot police secure the area near burning rubbish bins during a demonstration to protest the French government’s use of Article 49.3, a special clause in the French constitution, to pass the law on pension reform without a vote by pushing lawmakers through the National Assembly, in Paris on March 18, 2023
A man walks past a fire made from mattresses and dumpsters during a demonstration in Bordeaux, southwest France, on March 18, 2023
A pedestrian walks past full bins in Paris’ 2nd arrondissement as garbage collectors strike against pension reforms, leaving many streets in the capital littered with foul-smelling rubbish on March 17, 2023
The rubbish overflowing in the streets of Paris as a result of the garbage man’s strike linked to the French government’s pension reform on March 18
As protests over pension reforms continue, some of Paris’ fabled narrow streets are busier than usual, forcing people to walk through piles of litter on foot.
In some of central Paris’ most prestigious avenues, firefighters raced to put out burning rubbish heaps that had gone uncollected for days because of strikes as protesters skirmished with police for the fifth night.
City Hall said there were 9,300 tons of trash on the streets as of Monday, less than 10,000 days ago.
Macron rammed the showcase legislation of his second term through parliament last week — without a vote, thanks to a special constitutional article.
People carry an object next to a fire during clashes during a demonstration to protest the French government’s use of Article 49.3, a special clause in the French Constitution, to pass the law on pension reform without a vote by lawmakers through the National Assembly push. Nantes, France, on March 18, 2023
A barricade burns as protesters block traffic on Paris’ peripheral boulevard in the morning hours to distribute fliers against the French government’s pension reform
Illustration and view of the garbage overflowing in the streets of Paris as a result of the garbage man’s strike related to the French government’s pension reform on March 18, 2023
On Monday, the government won two no-confidence motions filed by angry lawmakers. The bill is now considered passed.
Garbage bags and bins served as fuel for troublemakers, who combed Paris on Monday night and started fires, as they have done following recent protests. At least 100 people were arrested.
‘Waste is a good way to protest. It has a big impact,” said Tony Gibierge, 36, who is opening a restaurant in a few months on a street in the south of Paris currently littered with litter.
Paris police authorities said in a statement on Tuesday that they were ordering garbage collectors to work to ensure a “minimum service.” It said 674 staff are covered by the injunctions, allowing 206 garbage trucks to operate since last week.
Pedestrians react as they pass a fire made from household waste containers during a demonstration in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on March 18, 2023
A man walks past a fire made from mattresses and dumpsters during a demonstration in Bordeaux, southwest France, on March 18, 2023
Macron has scheduled a series of political meetings on Tuesday with the prime minister, parliament leaders and lawmakers from his centrist alliance.
The French president, who made the pension plan a centerpiece of his second term, will speak on national television on Wednesday, a first since he decided last week to use a government’s special constitutional power to force the bill through parliament.
The move led to two motions of no confidence in the government in the House of Representatives, both of which were rejected on Monday.
A new round of strikes and protests organized by trade unions was declared on Thursday and is expected to once again bring public transport to a standstill.