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A6 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 30 March 2023
Long Paris trash strike ends, workers face daunting cleanup

By THOMAS ADAMSON mess, and I want to get on
Associated Press with normal life,” said Paris
PARIS (AP) — Striking sanita- resident Amandine Bet-
tion workers in Paris began out, 32, getting her morn-
returning to work Wednes- ing croissant in Le Marais
day, ending one of the district. She said it was a
most enduring symbols of “good thing” that the trash
opposition to French Presi- is swept up from the streets,
dent Emmanuel Marcon’s even though the cleanup
unpopular pension bill, as could take some time.
nationwide protests also An artist going by the single
appeared to be winding name Bisk who has drawn
down. attention for his creative
Awaiting clean-up crews sculptures using trash said
were heaps of trash that his work has added some
had piled up over their levity to otherwise tense
weekslong strike beginning protests, reminding Pari-
March 6, as well as debris sians about the lighter side
from the streets following of life. “People come by
the tenth nationwide anti- all serious, then see a mon-
pension reform protests a ster’s face or a little man
day earlier. and they leave with a smile.
Trash mounds that reached People have thanked me
up to 10,000 tons along A man jogs past uncollected garbage bags Tuesday, March 28, 2023 in Paris. for puncturing the mood,”
the French capital’s streets Associated Press the 30-year-old artist said.
matching the weight of the than most people, at age week-long strike would be “It’s good that the trash is Bisk said he has worked on
Eiffel Tower have become 57 due to their laborious “suspended” as of Wednes- collected. It’s very unsani- around 100 trash bin ‘sculp-
a striking visual and olfac- jobs, though many work day. Crews will join others tary, and some residents al- tures’ since March 6, cre-
tory symbol of opposition longer to increase their who were legally requisi- ready have trouble with rats ating fantastical monster’s
to Marcon’s plan to raise pension. The new plan tioned over the last week and mice. It can be dan- faces with mad eyes or lit-
the retirement age by two would push their retirement to help with the daunting gerous if it’s left too long,” tle friendly men that have
years. For most people age to 59. clean-up process. said artist Gil Franco, 73. garnered a life of their own
that means working until 64 Numerous strikers had cit- A statement by the CGT The suspension of the strike, on social media.
once the measure, under ed health concerns if they claimed that requisitions together with the dwindling “Everyone is tense, and I’m
examination by the Con- were made to work longer. of trucks, incinerators and protest numbers, is seen by stopped by police when
stitutional Council, is en- In a decision that sent personnel, ordered by the some as the beginning of I’m working as they think
shrined in law. waves of relief among Paris police prefect, had the end of demonstrations I’m going to set fire to the
Sanitation workers, who many Paris residents, the bled the movement, lead- against the pension bill. trash – but I’m just doing
had blocked three incin- powerful CGT union repre- ing to its suspension. But “People are getting tired art,” Bisk said. “I’m not po-
erator plants and garbage senting sanitation workers added that “the combat of it. There has been too litical. I just transform crap
truck depots, retire earlier announced that the three- isn’t over.” much violence. Paris is a into gold.” q

Calls mount for Taliban to free girls’ education activist

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Calls government defended the Afghanistan with a mobile U.S. chargé d’affaires for cious and the system has
mounted Wednesday for detention. school and library — was Afghanistan, Karen Deck- the right to ask such peo-
the Taliban to free a girls’ Matiullah Wesa, founder arrested in the Afghan er, said she was disturbed ple for an explanation,” he
education activist arrested and president of Pen Path capital on Monday. by “multiple, disturbing re- said Tuesday in a tweet.
earlier this week in Kabul, as — a local nongovernmen- Since their takeover of ports” of Afghans being “It is known that the arrest
a minister in the Taliban-led tal group that travels across Afghanistan, the Taliban detained while peacefully of an individual caused
have imposed restrictions protesting in support of such widespread reaction
on women’s and minority their aspirations. that a conspiracy was pre-
rights. Girls are barred from Former Afghan President vented.” Wesa’s brother,
school beyond the sixth Hamid Karzai said he was Attaullah Wesa, said Tal-
grade and last year, the saddened to hear of We- iban forces surrounded the
Taliban banned women sa’s arrest. family home on Tuesday,
from going to universities. Local reports said Taliban beat family members and
Wesa has been outspo- security forces detained confiscated Matiullah’s
ken in his demands for girls Wesa after his return from mobile phone. Social me-
to have the right to go to a trip to Europe. The Tal- dia activists have created
school and learn, and has iban authorities have not a hashtag to campaign for
repeatedly called on the confirmed his detention, Matiullah Wesa’s release.
Taliban-led government to whereabouts or reasons for Many posts condemned his
reverse its bans. His most re- the arrest. detention and demanded
cent tweets coincided with Abdul Haq Humad, the di- immediate freedom for the
the start of the new aca- rector of publications at activist.

Matiullah Wesa, a girls’ education advocate, reads to students demic year in Afghanistan, the Ministry of Information Wesa and others from the
in the open area in Spin Boldak district in the southern Kandahar with girls remaining shut out and Culture, defended the Pen Path launched a door-
province of Afghanistan on May 21, 2022. of classrooms and cam- detention. to-door campaign to pro-
Associated Press puses. Late Tuesday, the “His actions were suspi- mote girls’ education.q