French police have forced open a pivotal fuel depot blockaded by strikers opposing major pension reforms, as the country’s Senate prepares to vote on the measure today.
Helmeted officers descended on the depot at Grandpuits overnight, carrying out regional authorities’ orders to make striking workers return to work.
Workers have been camped out around the clock for days in front of the depot, blocking access and contributing to nationwide fuel shortages.
The depot has become a bastion of resistance to President Nicolas Sarkozy’s push to raise the retirement age from 60 to 62.
The Senate is expected to approve the reform later today, despite increasingly radical strikes and protests.