Cannes banned protests during film festival

Unhappy with pension reform French citizens banned from protesting
The authorities of the city of Cannes banned all protests along the Croisette and its surroundings during the international Cannes Film Festival.

The unions had previously said they were preparing a large demonstration on May 21, but it will now take place on Boulevard Carnot, away from the Croisette and the festival headquarters. There will also be a rally of hospitality workers, including hotel, café and restaurant staff, in front of the Carlton Hotel, whose famous guests this year include Martin Scorsese, on May 19 from 1 to 3 p.m.

The rally, in which protesters are likely to bang pots to express their anger, is technically allowed because the grounds of the Carlton Hotel are private property.

The city of Cannes and the regional authorities have imposed this ban on most of Cannes to prevent civil unrest. Since the beginning of March, the country has been shaken by mass protests over the French government's unpopular pension reform, which raises the retirement age in the country. The last time France was shaken by protests on this scale was in 2004, when hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Cannes outraged by changes to unemployment benefit rules,

When will the Cannes Film Festival be held in 2023?
Europe's most prestigious film forum will be held from May 16 to 27. French power engineers threatened to de-energize the festival's main venues to protest President Macron's decision to raise the retirement age.