francis, in another day of mass strike, says public anger at president macros plans to raise the retirement age showed no sign of subsiding, but there's also no sign of the president stepping back from what is shaping up to be the defining issue of his final office. as the government today rejected, unit appeals for mediation, i'm phil guy in berlin, and this is the day ah, that peter fighting, we can't let this guy was out feel to the government behavior the police violence law micron has been playing death applying for nearly 2 months ignoring week after week, all the anger had all the demonstrations that you all know that the president is ready to meet with the union city. by that it's not enough to say we want dialogue

. we don't want to discuss pensions. that's not possible with that from the prime minister is also at the disposal of the unions to meet with them for to go with right now. the whole isn't in our court is in the government, it has to listen to what's happening in the country. also coming up a fire at a migrant center in mexico, leaves dozens of people dead though. now you've been waiting for their father. then we started seeing smoke everywhere. everybody ran away but they left the men locked inside. ah, welcome to the day in france. hundreds of thousands of people have been on the streets again in a direct challenge to the plans by president manuel macro to make people work longer for their pensions and restrictions to places. cities across the country unions claiming more than a 450000, took part in paris alone, authorities for that figure lover,

but also to the reco 30000 police on duty. it's been 2 weeks since the president use a controversial constitutional power to bypass parliament and move on with steps through raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. once again, unions have been at the forefront of protest, but they've been angered by the government outright rejection of calls for mediation late. this was my iran has been playing, deaf and blind for nearly 2 months. was made up ignoring week after week. like all the anger and all the demonstrations that you're alone. and now once the law has been passed, it, he agrees to meet with the unions to discuss the social agenda and so on with the job. what he doesn't understand what the government doesn't understand is that today the workforce refuses to move on until we go back on the terms of this law. surely numbers that were you know, new builds a new day of mobilization is taking place. we respect strikes and demonstrations, but we will be vigilant to ensure that it does not give rise to more violence. and

this is thanks to the mobilization of our security forces, but also to the trade unions own security personnel. nobody's all good this, your son killer. that's bringing our coal stangler, he's an american journalist, based in france, enjoys us from paris. welcome to d, w. let's start with what's been happening in the french capital today. right, so you just gave those those numbers here in paris today we had the union say, 450000 people marching industry to paris not far actually were where i'm speaking with you from the interior minister says 93000. and so quite broad discrepancy would become pretty used to that over the course of this movement. similar numbers and across the country showing a slight drop off it in the protest compared to last thursday, which is the last day of action for this one. but, you know, a continuation of the movement that we've seen now go on for more than 2 months. which is to say you have

a lot of workers union sympathizers who feel like they are going to be suffering as a result of this reform. a lot of blue collar workers, but also i think it important to stress this time around a pretty sizable contingent of young people, students. so high school students also university students coming out in the streets despite of course, retirement not being something that's going to affect them immediately. but i think it really shows that this movement had become something bigger than just the simple question of attentions. yes, pension reform is a notoriously ab dry subject in most places. what is it about these reforms that has so incense to people that so many hundreds of thousands will take to the streets? the. i mean, i think the simplified a little bit, i think what we have, we have 2 things going on here. one is a simple reform in itself, which is very controversial. so raising that eligibility age, i think it should be stress. it's the eligibility age, the earliest age, which you can go for retirement, not necessarily the age of which people are all retiring. some people will be retiring at age 6567, even this reform,

even if this reform were to pass. the reform itself is extremely unpopular, paul, to show from the beginning, you know, to 30 to 7 out of 10 french people oppose the reform for cultural reasons for political reasons that i think are in part due to the, the power of the left and labor movement in france, i think that's one big chunk of the opposition, but obviously what we're seeing here is that i think the movement has, has moved into a different phase in which people are responding to the governments. the way the government has gotten this reform across the finish line, so to speak, which is to say their use of this constitutional authority article $49.00, which allows them to approve build without an up or down vote in parliament. and so people feel like, you know, actor expressing their opposition, which they made quite clear that the government isn't listening to them, that you know, they feel in some ways insulted, angry, not listen to. they feel like french democracy isn't working. and that's why i think this movement again, is got beyond his passions, were in a sort of bigger and movement. the questioning that the sort of validations, of,

of really political consensus in france and how french democracy works today. so if these things reforms are so unpopular, how did the government manage to squeeze them through on this recent no confidence vote? so manual my cause does not have an absolute majority party not have an absolute majority in parliament as of last summer of the 2022 legislative elections. he was known as a relative of majority in the national assembly. meaning his coalition need support from other parties and already to have a majority. in this case, what they said really last summer, they've been working primarily with the right wing party to decamp. and so the question really is, why did you be look for this unpopular bill? why did they not back the motion of no confidence against the government, which is what poll show the majority of the french population wanted 19. right when

deputies had begun did vote for the most of them no competence which is quite high . but for the rest of them around 20 years, so junior, on 40 or so, i think a big a big reason is that they don't want to have the risk of new elections. because if you vote for most of no competence, what that means is that you are essentially have shown that the national assembly cannot produce a working majority. and therefore, as a result, you have to go to new election if you're in negative because you really want to be holding new elections right now in risk. your own parliament, that's a calculation. i think a lot of those members made. so then, a quick look at where they might all and up because do unions and opposition stand a chance against the determined french president who is not standing for reelection . so unions have since called for yet another day of mobilization. the 11th since his movement began to that'll be on april 6th, unions are hoping that 3 pressure may be, might force the government to sort of change course. another route,

perhaps the most likely one is the french constitutional counsel. the rest of was one of the supreme court stepping in and invalidating part or all of the reform. and that decision will be expected sometime in april before and april 21st april. 23rd is when we should hear back from the constitutional counsel. in the meantime, unions, as you mentioned earlier, are trying to plead with the government to enter some sort of mediation or talks officer to provide, you know, what you might call an exit ramp here for the government to sort of t escalate the situation. perhaps the government, if these protest continue, might want to take the unions up on that offer. so far they said they haven't but, but the prime minister elizabeth barton has just a couple hours ago that she wants to meet with the union early next week. could that maybe be an opening to some sort of resolution we'll have to, we'll have to wait till again that next week. and the constitutional counsel will be getting a decision later in april. that's very clear. thank you so much for that cold

stangler in paris. unions in the united kingdom have announced the day of mass strikes by civil service and public service employees in late april capping a month long campaign of walkout units of fighting for a significant wage increase in the face of the rising cost of living. germany also so widespread industrial action on monday as workers worked off the job with airports and on the railways. here 2 unions are demanding pay increases more than 10 percent. that compensate for our spiraling inflation and rising energy prices. and of course, it's not just britain, france, and germany everywhere. you look at workers from doctors and nurses to civil servants, delivery workers and public transport workers seem to be on strike or balancing for strike action. so let's look at these wider issues with benjamin fox. he's politics editor at the news website you're active and joins us from brussels. welcome to

d w. this feels like europe is having a moment. is there more industrial action across the continental? does it just feel like, you know, i think it's fair to say that it's all kicking off at the moment. i'm and where i think we're expecting what we're seeing, an unprecedented amount, not just of strikes, but also popular protests mean in terms of what we've, what we've seen in the last couple weeks in france. i'm and i mean, you mentioned that we're seeing this across much of europe. we're also seeing at cross, i mean, much as well as well. i mean, in the last couple, just in the last weeks we've seen similar protests from kind of from unit 2 to cape town all about and basically similar issues, the cost of living crisis, inflation and poor governance. right, cost of living,

inflation and poor government. let's start with the 1st of those cost of, of living and spiraling inflation. it's clearly, it is hitting at every one hard. do you see a pattern in the way, but governments are reacting to this spiral inflation and cost of living. and the reaction that they're facing from, from the crowds, from workers i think it has, there's been a lot of variation between different countries. i mean, certainly, i think if we think in terms of the energy crisis, i think there's been a huge and generally speaking there's been a lot of government support for, for energy bills across europe. i think of it certainly in the u. k. as off you know, the government has. ready offered heavy subsidies to people's energy bills, and that's been replicated, actually more generously. i in the likes of france and germany. i think

where the difference is, is that we're seeing this slightly clumsy politics. i think certainly in terms of president mac, crohn's handling of what is on the so if you look at it purely on economics, is the move to increase the pension age by 2 years is long overdue, and successive presidents have tried and failed to do to do it, he's done, it's the, the way that it can handle that is that is causing the anger on the streets. similarly in the u. k, i think if you look at a public sector strikes, my impression is that this very poorly handled by the government and initially offering extremely media pay offers, which are now which then gradually growing back on i'm not going to have to offer

slightly more gender settlements. i think it's the poor politics slightly just kind of kind of 10 year government approach that is exacerbating the anger on the street and it is. i'm just now, right. and we were seeing the pictures from france. i've been paying attention to what's going on in the u. k. and here in germany, but you have an argument, don't you do? have you have people saying, well, i bills have gone up. the government says, yes we are, we hear you. we have done, we did what we could to get you through covered now in order to, to balance the books, we all have to pull our belts in a little tighter. if you'll forgive the mixed metaphor, do you have any sympathy for that argument? for what the, for the government argument for the government argument saying that yet what we throw all this money actually through through cove, it at now we're out of cove and we can't just keep throwing money at you. sure.

except the only problem with that is that we are, we've just seen in the last 10 days, the swiss government, in pad to pompeian a $100000000000.00, a very short notice to pay for the takeover of credit suisse. and if we see another banking crisis across the west and again, governments a very quick, there's no, no criticism, that's what you know it's, it's the right thing to do is to step inside these banks. but again, if you, if governments are able to find hundreds of billions of yours to safeguard banking sector than that, it becomes very hard to then say on the other hand, well we, but we, we can't give you any, any more support on, in terms of your wage is been pummeled by i inflation i'm so yes i do have some sympathy, sympathy with that with, with,

with government stance. but if we have, if we see, if we do see another kind of banking crisis and, or bailouts that will become very hard to sustain. ah, it's been a 150 days since the iranian rap are to marge, the la, he was arrested during the women life freedom demonstrations, sparked by the death of a young woman in police. custody is one of the protesters known to be facing the death penalty. the dublin spoke to a close friend of his about the case and about fears for his safety. he's dearest or the reason why too much spans love him. and iran's courage rulers hate in his music video publishing until there he pretty stared down for a tommy by 10, tens of thousands in iran,

took to the streets to demand an end of this nomic republic. still pretty room to march, don't den, and encourage others to do the same ballpark quantity. believe in this revolution, enjoying the young people who are now on the streets who we hear are being killed every day. we are burning, but we will not let the flame of this revolution go out tomorrow, wednesday, 26th of october, all over iran, just 4 days later, to march disappear until weeks later it video emerged which very deliberately not showing you now in it. he's blindfolded and forced to apologize. in an exclusive interview with d. w. a close friend has described how the video brought even more distress that i linked to seal has through loss to was because i would before 38 days. we were unaware of too much on them, and it was quite clear to us that they were torturing him during this time. and in

the corner. slattich, as i said, that his shaking his face, which had lost way due to torture and pressure because made us all angry and upset, lies the hash when i cancelled law. and in my opinion, it showed how weak this regime is to tell you how pathetic they are as well that they resort to force like this and on any letter yet as there corston isn't than a half. i shall cause more to last syllabus. lulu michel, arab okla, $150.00 days after his arrest to march is still in solitary confinement. in one of iran's many presence. his friends fear for his life because he is indicted with corruption on airs. they charge that carries the death penalty. and because he hasn't even recovered from the injuries he suffered during an earlier detention. what as of one i miss it goes on the same city. unfortunately, i was just like this time to march his previous arrest was accompanied by violence

under your horror sunday he read you a new year too. as he sat in a youtube video, when he was arrested 10 people surrounded him and they hit him on his head, skull and eyes dialed. it was almost every canada with that and they hit his head on the ground. jack la la la. yet they even heard one of 2 marches replacement to was me. i think one of his ribs was damaged and broken at the time. is that as our what? his amboy said? i see we're down there too much. he has done or speak, like i said he does, she has. but while iran's rulers might be able to silence to march himself for now making and many, many others are being lout on social media. they are campaigning for his release, and making sure to wars of their rap here who used to be peer voice r e called around the world. ah, polish $39.00 people have died after fire broke out at an immigration detention

center and filled out horace. on mexico's board with the united states or the 20 others were entered in the blaze, which started shortly before midnight. authority, se migrants set fire to mattresses after hearing they were to be deported. it was one of mexico's deadliest fires in recent memory. 60 men were being held at this facility near the us border. the fire took dozens of lives and injured others. many are still waiting for news of their loved ones. i have been waiting for their father then we started seeing smoke everywhere. everybody ran away, but they left the men locked inside. the video film from within the facility shows how some people were able to escape our sleeter rows of bodies were brought outside into it. i see many people laying on the ground

and i don't know what to think. they tell me nothing. mexico's president andreas manuel lopez abra door also addressed to place, claiming the fire was started by migrants fearing to partition in. does it all go johnny? thus they put mats at the door of the shelter and set them on fire as a protest and did not imagine and that it would cause this terrible tragedy. many sad valley is grassy and recent weeks authorities, treatment of migrants has also been criticized. tensions are rising as the united states and mexico are battling to cope with record levels of border crossings. a stoner correspondence in washington, catalina shimaya, welcome to the day, a carolina and i have to have people been able to paste through the sequence of

events that led to this, this terrible event. yeah, this a tragedy inhabitants here twice as us as the report mentioned at the border to el paso in texas, until this is the major crossing point for migrants from mexico due to united seats and m as suitors. as said in that report, 39 people were killed in a fire at that migration center run by the government in this city, and at least 29 are injured. and this is the deadliest incident in recent memory in the country, mexico. we know that there were 68 man from central and south america and the center and at the time of the fire that they were detained by the mexican border patrol that same day some were even held in. 7 locked rooms, which makes of course, a situation even more, more, more dramatic, and more tragic. and what's the center for what goes on?

while the president of mexico la pezora calls it a shelter for migrants. but it's important feel to point out at that this is a government run migrant detention center. the. the national migration institute as it's called is a center. we're a migrants, a caught by the border police from mexico are being held before they are deported to their home countries. some say there are 4 days as i mean for weeks am. and the thing is that, that the border city as you, that white as is already full of immigrants, the shelters are packed so many of the immigrants are sleeping on the streets or in churches. and a couple of days ago, many of them went to the bridge that connects as to that wireless to the city of a paso. and they tried to cross altogether to the other side to the u. s. but they were turned back a couple of days after that, the mayor from quite as, as said in a press briefing that he would have from his approach to migrants stranded in the

city. and this is where the mexican border police started putting them in this kind of migrant centers. right. and the dust seemed to have been an increase in the number of people having for the us mexico border because of a, a long promised, but as yet undelivered change of u. s. policy. and talk to us about the role of title 40 to image. well yes, the border cities across mexico have been a flight. it was immigrants, many of them have been turned back from the united states, and many more are arriving from south and from central america. hope across the border as soon as people here or think that the u. s. immigration policy might change in their favor thinks as start changing at those border cities. for example, article a 42 that you just mentioned. this is a health rule of from the pandemic era that started actually under former president donald trump. and this rule gives the government the ability to take emergency action to stop the introduction of diseases. and trump, of course,

used it mainly to stop migrants who could potentially ask for asylum to a to come into the united states. the president biden promised several times he would lift this rule, but again, the u. s. supreme court, they decided to keep article 42 in place. and now this rule is supposed to expire in may, and many migrants are hoping for that they're hoping to cross once this rule is being lifted. and so there is also the remaining mexico policy, for example, that is an agreement between the usaa administration and mexico that makes immigrants stay in mexico and the, until their legal status in the us is clear. and this can last of course months or even years. so this border cities of phil are really becoming a bottleneck for immigrants from central and south america. okay, thank you for that kind of lena, joy, of course, fun in washington that i is almost done by the

conversation continues online. you can find us on twitter either at d w, so i can probably fill gail more same time tomorrow until that with

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