On Thursday, protesters in Paris broke into the BlackRock headquarters building to voice their opposition to the government's pension plans. BlackRock is the largest money manager in the world.
Social media users posted videos of demonstrators launching smoke bombs and holding red flares as they entered the Centorial business building, which is close to the Opéra Garnier opera venue.
For about 10 minutes, about 100 individuals, including officials of different trade organizations, were chanting anti-reform chants on the bottom floor of the building. The third story of the building houses the BlackRock office.
“The meaning of this action is quite simple. We went to the headquarters of BlackRock to tell them: the money of workers, for our pensions, they are taking it,” Jerome Schmitt, spokesman for French union SUD, told CNN affiliate BFM-TV. BlackRock declined to comment.
"This action has a very clear meaning. According to Jerome Schmitt, spokesman for the French union SUD, "We went to the BlackRock headquarters to tell them: the money of workers, for our pensions, they are taking it." BlackRock opted not to respond.
The 11th day of nationwide demonstrations against the French government's proposal to raise the retirement age for the majority of workers from 62 to 64 has begun. Last month, the government used special constitutional authority to ram the contentious bill through parliament without a vote.
People would need to work harder starting in 2027 if they want to get the full advantages of the state pension, according to the changes.
The largest asset manager in the world, BlackRock, has not contributed to the pension reforms. But protester and teacher Françoise Onic told Reuters that workers targeted the business because of its work for private pension funds.
Although the government claims the pension law is required to address a future financing gap, employees are incensed by the changes at a time when living expenses are rising. Thanks to a steep slowdown in energy price increases, French inflation dropped last month from a record in February, but food price inflation picked up speed.
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