Police clash with firefighters in Paris

French police clashed with firefighters protesting in Paris yesterday against their working conditions and demanding more pay.
Thousands of firefighters attended the protest in the French capital, asking for an increase of their hazard bonus, which has not changed since 1990.
Police fired tear gas and hit some protesters with batons.
In October, firefighters also protested in Paris, calling for better pay, guarantees of their pension benefits and greater respect for their profession.
The firefighters want a special salary premium that acknowledges the risks of their job to be brought in line with that of the police, staff levels maintained, and the preservation of their pension system.
“We are the final link in the chain of emergency aid in France and we are overwhelmed by callouts,” said Frederic Perrin, head of the SPASDIS-CFTC union.
“We need the staffing and means to respond to this and also a guarantee that we can concentrate on our core missions, emergency response, and not serve as a supplement to absent health services,” he told AFP.
In one of the most eye-catching protests in Paris in recent months, the firefighters set off smoke flares while others wearing special protective vests set themselves on fire.
Sporting helmets and protective gear, firefighters marched from Republic Square to Nation Square, clambering onto their central statues, and igniting their flares.
Some protesters blocked the main ring road of Paris but were dispersed, Paris police said.
Two people were arrested.
France has been gripped by protests and strikes since early December over President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pension reform plans.
The worst of the strikes on the Paris public transport system have now petered out, but the hardline unions have vowed not to give in.