Once again French's real object of protest is not explained to foreigners. It's not that we don't want any reform, we're not that blind about the poor state of our economy nor the crisis' consequences or the natural increasing of longevity. The problem is that this reform is flawed, unfair, hastily made with little thoughts about the differences in labor penibility. A fair part of French are not opposed to the idea of retiring at 62 if it's effectively 62, but foreigners must know that this is a purely theroric age as what really counts is the number of years you contribute for a retirement pension scheme. And these obligatory years of contribution in France are among the longest in Europe which means that being allowed to retire at 62 will really make us leave between 65 and 70. Whatever the job you do. This is the heart of the problem and explains why 70% of the French agree with the wave of protest. Also, this has nothing to do with the images of urban violence which are just some lazy students and high-schoolers who just search any excuses/events possible to avoid school and indulgenge in robbery.

"The numbers do not always reflect reality" is the what this reporter asserts. So what does reflect reality? Fake opinion poll numbers conducted by corporate paid firm or a single selected person interviewed by this reporter? No, the French workers out in force and the number do reflect reality. The French workers know the facts on what this is all about. It is all about neo-liberal agenda-- making the workers work harder and longer as the wealth of the nation accumulates into fewer and fewer hands.. We know the Russian oligarchs are watching this event closely.

Not even one protester was interviewed! Going around saying that protesters are blackmailing people and don't even show their point of view does not seem like a great job done now does it?

Congrats and Solidarity with brave French citizens for leading the world again as they did back in 1968. Citizens of the world are with you.

As a Frenchman and frequent commenter on RT I shall try to explain why France is in such a mess. I have made the same comments to French media, all were censured. Our economic situation is catastrophic simply because our industrialists, bankers and politicians have a cash register instead of brain. They don't care about the people... Back, when that ignoble Sarkozy was Mr Chirac's minister, with his friends from the MEDEF, they encouraged our industrialists to delocalise and transfer our technology where labor-forces were cheap. Consequences: cars, skis, electro-menager were made in Roumania, China, then sold in France. Recently we were obliged to buy trains in Canada and Germany; when a few years ago, we were the best on that field... Now France is the champion of useless industries like Luxurious products which few peoples can buy or military equipments type those useless Mistrals or Rafale jets (unsellable)...Conclusion: To pay retirements benefits, you need revenues from industries' products which you export; like does Germany so well. Frenchs can work until 90, it will change nothing; they will just forbid young peoples to find works. A society of services and security employment is insignificant for pensions' benefits. Nevertheless, in this situation, everybody lie because the solution is so obvious: The retirements benefits and unemployment must be paid by the profiteers (industrialists, bankers and stocks' holders) or the jobs must come back to France. Naturally, the MEDEF and Sarkozy who dreamed to become a billionaire will never accept those facts. RT should publish this comment in French for my countrymen to understand...Thank You RT ! Sorry Future French Generations, I do my best, in a sneaky way to help you... Jean-Claude Meslin

This interview with the "succesfull student" is really an insult to all the people marching on the streets of France. It looks more like an attempt to discredit the large movement. This is not going to work... French people are really fed up and they won't let the banksters have their way. No, no, no!!! The bankters have played and they have lost the money and the people aren't going to pay for it. In 1973 the french president Pompidou (who worked for the banksters) and the future president Giscard. agreed to put a term to the note printing power of the Banque de France, so from there on the country has accumulated debts and deficit. Shall the people wake up? Shall they they surrender to the mafia and the sold governement... Time will tell. May be a new french revolution is ahead.

Meslin, Apart from that, being life expectancy in France very high (similar to Spain´s) how can anybody (and usually women who live more years) spend 30 years in retirement? In Spain the age of retirement is 65, and will increase during the next decade to 67. (life expectancy in Spain is about 80 years old). The U.K. has just approved retirement at 66 for both men and women (even if they live on average five years more than men) Just do the numbers. 30 years of retirement! Incredible!

A few points: 1. The days of wine and roses ( birth to death benefits ) is over with.! Now we have something called AUSTERITY! It's worldwide. If I can cut back on some of the luxuries in life, SO CAN THE FRENCH. 2. The American Social Security system faces some tough times and changes too, including partial privitisation possibly. 3. Ms Azarova's commentary at the end of the report is true! People will grow tired and annoyed of these strikes, which are hurting their basic services. 4. ACCEPT IT FRANCE: THE DAYS OF AUSTERITY ARE HERE! Ditto for the reforms in the UK.

so more than 60 % of french su[pport the strike and denmonstration! 20th (while sparing the top 20 % and especially the patrasitic bankers of share transaction tax-otherwise known as tobin tax). the british media instead of feeling shame-they are r3ealy shamelss people the english race_ the british media is reading the french strike in quite opposite way_one of those bastards ask the french finance m isnter if " do you not wish that the french were more like the british"? ofocurse not. i know of nobody least of all french who wish to eb like british especailly parasite low bred english race. but look at the manipulation by th ebritihs media the british propaganda media msut be sorted out

France is a mess, ladies and gents. Same thing happens in Russia, Ukraine, South Africa etc.People dont want to work, but they want to live a happy and successful life. Its not about a real thing, its about individual stupidity, when people demand something they never deserved. Take China, for instance, or Japan. There is no such thing as vocation at all. Germany is really a success story, being resurrected from ashes by the hard work of people there. There is a price to pay, when you stop to work and start to leach.

to Norman Hill and Henrique, The queston is why would the french people pay for the lust and mistakes or planned distruction of the economy of the BANKSTERS? And my question to you is how come you support this? It is a proven fact that life expectancy is going back especialy in the US. Unimployement and low standards of living has brought it down in the states as it obviously is the case in poor countries. So you pretend that it is going to be 30 years of doing nothing but reality tells us otherwise. The US citizen has always been guluble and arrogant. He cares not study or understand anything and takes his emotions for thoughts and reason. Soon enough he will realise what it means to be greedy and brainless. Without social acquisitions we would be living as in pre revolution days in a feudal society. People died so we could be free and live as human beings not cerfs. The BANKSTERS will ask for more and more "necessary" sacrifices until they bleed us dead. It is not a fght between the French and the others. It is a fight of the people who create the real values of the economy which isn't money printng and the BANKSTERS. It is a fight for survival.

Looks like the ugly truth is in the open. The white star, Democracy is dead, joining her red sister six feet below. Was it all an illusion anyway? 10% ruling the 90% below was not democracy as known by the expected definition. To the French freedom fighters...keep up the good work.The rest don't want to come out of the womb of fantasy, accepting to live as serfs. This is not only about retirement. If you think this is only about retirement then you haven't learned anything useful yet. So there is some crisis, (yet profits are high for the crying babies). A broken bone. Set it back and cast it. It heals relatively quickly and then you remove the cast. Logical. When will the cast set upon the people be removed? There is no mention of removing the reforms. The next cast that the doctor is planning is to go over your mouth until you are buried. The system must change. Hopefully the change will be in the right direction, to freedom.

Enrique. You have understood nothing. When you have revenues, like do pension-funds in certain countries, that money produce more money when correctly invested. I, myself have that from 21 years working in the US aerospace industry. If you do like the French decisions-makers did, supervised by Sarkozy and the MEDEF (Where the president's brother is a big "shot") delocalize your industry and transfer your technical knowledge where labor is cheap; then your country's people has no more work and no more revenues for social benefits. Nevertheless, since productivity increase and products are sold everywhere, including in France, industrialists, their stocks' holders and the bankers make a lot of money. Beside Sarkozy's dream to become billionaire may come true. As I explained before (In France no media want to publish my remarks) there is two ways to solve the problem: 1) Those profiteers must pay for the retirement and the unemployment. Their products sold in France must be severely taxed. 2) Rapatriate the works in France and try to initiate a more just mondialisation. You may have a better idea ! Sincerely... Jean-Claude Meslin