French ballet dancers perform in support for strike against pension reforms

Dancers wearing white tutus performed Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed ballet on the steps of a Paris Opera. According to reports, the ballet performance was in support of the French strike against the government's pension reforms that have been subject to a lot of criticism. A group of 40 dancers danced in Act 4 of Tchaikovsky's ballet on December 24 with banners painted with Paris Opera on strike and Culture is in Danger. The dancers against the French government's plan to abolish more than 40 pension schemes and incorporate a single points-based system.

Ballet dancers protest against pension reforms

One of the dancers, Alexandre Carniato, said that even though the dancers were on a strike, they wanted to show support for the protesters. Carniato further added that even though the weather was extremely cold, all the dancers wanted to perform and wanted the musicians to give them company. Carniato alos said that their ballet performance outside Palais Garnier showcased the sacrifice and the amount of hard work they put in for the past 15 years. The 41-year-old dancer further added that if someone wants to continue beautiful dancers performing on stage, old dancers like them cannot continue till the age of 64, an indirect reference to the tabled new age limit for a full pension. The retire plan for the Paris Opera allows dancers to retire at the age of 42 and was incorporated in the year 1698 by King Louis XIV.

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Thousands swarmed the streets in France 

In a different incident, thousands of French citizens swarmed the streets in France on December 17 in a standoff igniting transport strikes. The French interior ministry said that approximately 6,15,000 people took part in the protest in marches spread across the country, with 76,000 people protesting in the French capital. According to reports, about 1.8 million people were protesting across the entire country, higher than the 1.5 million counts observed since December 5.

Doctors, teachers and workers at the Eiffel tower walked off from the job to resist pension reforms proposed by President Emmanuel Macron. The government further added that the new system will be more transparent and fair to the people and will also especially improve pensions for women and people having a low income. However, critics are of the opinion that the change in the pension system could force people numbering in millions to work beyond the age of 62 (official retirement age), by setting the official retirement age at 64 that would ensure a full pension.

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(With inputs from agencies)