Pension protests held outside Cannes Film Festival in France | Entertainment

CANNES, France (AP) — Protests over pension reform has roiled France in recent months, But at the Cannes Film Festival, one of the country’s glitziest events, the demonstrations were largely put on hold.

Dozens of protesters gathered in Cannes on Sunday against reforms pushed through parliament by President Emmanuel Macron’s government. The protests, however, are far from the festival’s central hub, the Palais des Festivals, or the Croisette, the Croisette in Cannes. Instead, they clustered on Carnot Avenue on the edge of the city.

“We are against retirement reform that will kill many people on the job,” said one of the demonstrators, Tomas Ghestem.

Ahead of the festival, local authorities in Cannes ordered a ban on gatherings in much of Cannes. The move is part of a growing effort across France to ban demonstrations at some high-profile locations. Unions have called for a new round of nationwide demonstrations on June 6.

The ban kept demonstrations from Cannes’ famous red carpet and prevented one of France’s most contentious issues from disrupting the carefully planned flow of the festival.

One exception is Friday. Hospital workers protested in private grounds in front of the Carlton Hotel, a historic luxury hotel that hosts many stars during the festive season, to avoid the ban. Hotel and restaurant workers held banners reading “Reject Pension Reform”.

Labor dispute Added color to this year’s Cannes, which happened during a Hollywood screenwriters strike. Film and TV writers are seeking better pay, reforms in the streaming age and safeguards against the use of artificial intelligence.

Juror Paul Dano said he planned to join the picket line when he returned home. Sean Penn called the studio’s stance on AI “human obscenity.” Earlier this week, the board of directors of actors’ union SAG-AFTRA voted to give its members a strike mandate in talks with studios over new contracts.

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