Banging saucepan protests ‘won’t move france forwards’, says macron

KEEN TO TURN THE PAGE ON THE COUNTRY’S CONTROVERSIAL PENSION REFORMS, MACRON HAS BEEN HITTING THE ROAD TO TRY AND GET HIS MESSAGE ACROSS Emmanuel Macron responded to protesters making noise

during his visit to Alsace that “banging saucepans will not move France forward”. It happened when France’s president was visiting a factory in Muttersholtz (Bas-Rhin) on Wednesday (April

19). Protesters gathered in advance of his arrival, carrying anti-government signs and banging saucepans (called ‘casseroles’ in French). The situation was tense amid ongoing opposition to

the government’s pension reforms. READ MORE: FRANCE'S PENSION REFORMS LARGELY APPROVED AS REFERENDUM REJECTED READ MORE: REIGNITE OR FIZZLE OUT? WHAT NEXT FOR FRANCE’S PENSION REFORM

STRIKES? Banging saucepans is a well-known method of protest, widely used in France. Called ‘_un concert de casseroles_’, it is thought to date back to the medieval ‘charivari’ practice, in

which people were humiliated by other villagers banging pots and pans outside their window to protest a particular action (such as an ill-advised marriage). But the president told the

waiting press that “saucepans won’t move France forwards…what I’m interested in is building a future for our children. It’s my duty not to stop”. He said: “What interests me, is to be able

to talk with you about the current difficulties, the cost of living and rising prices, many subjects on the economic and social agenda over the next few months.” Mr Macron, taking aim at

those “grumbling” or “banging saucepans”, added: “I don’t think these people want to talk. I think they want to make noise. If we are in a society where we only listen to people who want to

make noise to cover up words, then we won’t do very well.” Police dispersed around 100 protesters who were gathered against the visit. A prefectural decree had banned all protests ahead of

time. The gendarmerie warned, through a megaphone, that if the situation escalated, they would use force. One protester TOLD _LE FIGARO_: “I’m worried about the country. We are leaving debt

to our children.” During the visit, the neighbourhood’s electricity was cut off, for which no group has yet claimed responsibility. However, a representative from the CGT Bas-Rhin said that

it had been “among the options” considered by protesters ahead of the visit. Laurent Feisthauer, departmental secretary of the CGT Bas-Rhin, said: “We are happy about it anyway. Because just

as with the saucepans, it has just disrupted the president’s communication operation.” PREFECTURAL DECREE ‘BANS SAUCEPANS’ Some REPORTS HAVE SAID that the department prefect in Ganges

(Hérault) has now banned protesters from bringing saucepans or using kitchen utensils on-site, ahead of the president’s visit to the village on Thursday (April 20). More specifically, the

decree states: “[We ban] any object likely to constitute a weapon within the meaning of Article 132-75 of the Criminal Code, or which may serve as a projectile presenting a danger to the

safety of persons and property", as well as "the use of portable sound devices or those emanating from vehicles that are not duly authorised”. Several protesters were unable to

access the site due to carrying pans, HUFFPOST REPORTED, as showed many videos on Twitter. > "Entrée des casseroles interdite dans le village"#Les100jours > France, 2023 

https://t.co/PFsWtKISeJ > — Julien Bayou (@julienbayou) April 20, 2023 > "A quel moment on n'a pas le droit d'avoir une casserole?". A > Ganges, les habitants 

découvrent, excédés, qu'ils sont privés de > leur timbale à cause de la visite de Macron. L'apaisement, c'est > (pas) maintenant... pic.twitter.com/0uWoY0COuz > — 

Nils Wilcke (@paul_denton) April 20, 2023 Green MPs Marine Tondelier and Julien Bayou were among opposition MPs to respond with criticism on Twitter, saying: “France. 2023. The government is

taking out decrees against saucepans.” Serge Slama, a professor of public law at the University of Grenoble Alpes, told the HuffPost that the decree was “illegal”. He said: “This

prefectural decree - signed, moreover, by a former professor of public law - is totally illegal. A protection perimeter under article L226-1 CSI has only one function: to prevent the risk of

terrorism and not to protect the president from the booing of his citizens.” The prefecture later said that some gendarmes had misinterpreted the decree. In response to the reports,

spontaneous ‘casserole’ protests have broken out, including in Paris. Some political cartoonists have also highlighted the incidents satirically. This one says: “Makes sense to be covered

up”, showing the president wearing a saucepan for protection. RELATED ARTICLES LES INSOUMIS ‘SAUCEPAN PROTEST’ GOES BACK CENTURIES ‘CHANTER COMME UNE CASSEROLE’: OUR FRENCH EXPRESSION OF THE

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