Protesters storm Louis Vuitton’s Paris HQ ahead of ruling on French pension reforms

LVMH office stormed days after owner named richest man in the world

Angry protesters stormed the headquarters of a luxury brands group in Paris as unrest over Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms showed little sign of abating ahead of a court ruling on the changes.

The French president has forced through an increase in the national retirement age from 62 to 64 - a move that has proved deeply unpopular with workers and has sparked multiple protests across the country, some of which have turned violent.

On Thursday, thousands of protesters took to the streets of Paris again to show their opposition to the reforms, which Mr Macron’s government pushed through parliament without a vote.

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the offices of LVMH - the owner of luxury fashion brands including Louis Vuitton and Dior - days after its boss Bernard Arnault replaced Elon Musk as the world’s richest man as his fortune grow more than £40bn ($50bn) to £168bn ($211bn).

LVMH, which also owns Sephora, Hennessy and Moet, also reported on Wednesday sales of €21bn  (£18.5bn) in the first three months of the year, up 17 per cent from the same period in 2022.

A group of protesters, some armed with red flares, then stormed the building on the high-end Avenue Montaigne before climbing an escalator to the upper floors. Others filled the street waving flags of the railway workers’ union Sud Rail.

Protesters are calling for the rich to contribute more to the French pension system. “If Macron wants to find money to finance the pension system, he should come here to find it,” Fabien Villedieu, a union leader, told local media.

The protest outside LVMH was just one of several flare-ups across the city. Demonstrators also targeted the Central Bank offices and activists dumped bags of rubbish outside the office of France’s Constitutional Council, which will later today rule on whether or not Mr Macron’s reforms are in line with the constitution.

Scores of demonstrators gather outside Louis Vuitton (EPA-EFE)

Protesters storm LVMH HQ (EPA-EFE)

The government hopes to get the green light, likely with minor caveats, that could discourage protests and allow it to enact the bill.

"The country must continue to move forward, work, and face the challenges that await us," Mr Macron said during a state visit to the Netherlands.

But unions and the opposition warned that months of fractious debates and protests on the pension bill, which the government pushed through parliament without a vote for lack of a majority, will not go away quickly, even if it gets the council’s approval.

Unions - and protesters - will pressure Mr Macron not to implement the law, and try to find another way out.

The president must withdraw this bill "or he won’t be able to rule this country," the new head of the hardline CGT union, Sophie Binet, said on Thursday, warning of more strikes to come.

Macron with president of the Constitutional Council (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Flames rise from a Mercedes car set on fire during a demonstration on the 12th day of action after the government pushed a pensions reform through parliament without a vote, using the article 49.3 of the constitution, in Rennes, northwestern France (AFP/Getty)

Effigy of Macron burnt by protesters (AFP/Getty)

"We still hope that, at some point, someone in high places will decide to abandon this law, sit around a table and look at pension funding differently," 52-year-old postal service worker Francis Bourget said at a rally in Paris.

And the opposition hopes to organise a citizens’ referendum. It is a long shot, with many hoops to jump through, but could still dog the government for months, while the opposition tries to gather the nearly five million signatures it would need to push this through.

A source close to Mr Macron said the government was likely to quickly promulgate the bill in the official journal, possibly early next week, if it gets the Council’s green light, to try to move on.

The council’s decision is expected late afternoon or early evening, likely after 4pm (GMT). It could strike down the bill, but this is something it has rarely done and constitutional experts and government sources see this as unlikely.

Riot police on the streets of Paris (EPA-EFE)

Alternatively, and more likely experts and government sources say, is that the council approves the raising of the legal retirement age, but strikes down some measures designed to boost employment for older workers on the grounds that they do not belong in a social security budget bill.

Political observers say the widespread discontent over the government’s reform could have longer-term repercussions, including a possible boost for the far right.

"I’m not that optimistic about the Constitutional Council’s decision," far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who opposes the pension legislation, said earlier this week. "But what do you want me to do? Burn cars? We’ll just tell the French: Vote for the National Rally."