2LT International News

PARIS, France: French millennials are venting their frustration at baby boomers, blaming the older generation for leaving them with soaring public debt, unaffordable housing, and a pension system under strain.

Their anger has coalesced online under the viral slogan “Nicolas foots the bill”, a campaign that has quickly morphed into a broader generational debate about fairness and responsibility.

The government in Paris is battling to close the euro zone’s biggest deficit, and younger workers say the burden has fallen disproportionately on them while pensioners are shielded. Baby boomers, born between 1945 and 1964, retire earlier, benefit from inflation-indexed pensions, and own homes that were once affordable but are now out of reach for most first-time buyers.

The X account “NicolasQuiPaie,” launched anonymously by a millennial, has drawn over 74,000 followers with memes portraying a burned-out 30-year-old funding the leisure of retirees “Bernard and Chantal.” The account’s creator told Reuters that politicians “have so much voting power that no effort is ever demanded of them. So politicians keep squeezing workers.”

Critics say the memes sometimes stray into far-right territory, especially depictions of “Nicolas” also paying for a fictional “Karmic,” a typically North African name. The account’s founder rejects accusations of xenophobia and insists the campaign is non-partisan, though he hopes to pressure governments ahead of elections.

The movement has caught the attention of politicians. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau warned, “There’ll be a revolt” if workers alone are asked to fix the deficit. Centrist Prime Minister François Bayrou, 74, echoed the concern, recently criticising “boomers who think everything is fine.” Bayrou, however, is expected to lose his job in a confidence vote on September 8.

Not everyone accepts the generational blame. “We don’t have a boomer problem, we have a budget problem,” said Patrick Sorel, 67, strolling through Paris. “We paid for Nicolas’ education and Nicolas’ studies. Politicians need the courage to ask everyone to contribute.”

Economists say millennials’ frustration is rooted in reality. France’s pension system is built on intergenerational transfers: today’s workers’ pay directly for today’s retirees through levies on their payslips. With longer lifespans and a large boomer population, younger workers are sustaining one of the most generous pension systems in the developed world.

“No country has ever treated pensioners better than today’s France,” said demographics expert Maxime Sbaihi. “The baby-boom generation lived through a golden age, but doesn’t quite grasp the impact of its demographic weight.”

Despite the social media noise, the movement has no formal structure. But with France’s deficit crisis dominating politics, “Nicolas” has become a symbol of a generation unwilling to quietly carry the load.