Protests against rising retirement age in Algeria

Algerians took to the streets over the weekend to protest against newly-introduced reforms to push the retirement age to 60.

The plans are to be debated in parliament this week and a draft law is expected to be approved.

A drop in oil revenues has forced authorities to draft the law to end early retirement and only allow retirement after 32 years of contributions to a pension fund regardless of age. The reform is due to come into force in January.

The protest was organised by trade unionists and is part of a series of strikes and demonstrations against the 2017 draft finance bill.

During the protests, Police arrested several demonstrators and tore their banners.

“I was roughed up by police and wounded” above the eye, school director Abdelmalek Zegada told an Algerian Press Service reporter.

“Police beat up teachers, doctors and workers,” teacher Um Abdelkader said. “We’re all shocked.”

According to protesters many others were held up at checkpoints outside Algiers and prevented from joining the demonstrations.

Nadia Chouitem, an opposition lawmaker, said she was sad to see “so much violence”, while fellow parliamentarian Smain Kouadria, accused the Algerian state of enforcing a “totalitarian state” type behaviour of in the face of “legitimate” demands.