France's Macron says he will not yield to pension protests

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the violence that erupted in Thursday’s demonstrations against raising the French retirement age. PHOTO: AFP

BRUSSELS/PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron on Friday said he would press ahead with reforms, dodging a union leader’s call to suspend a new pension law amid some of France’s worst street violence in years. 

There were violent clashes across the country on Thursday evening on the fringes of otherwise peaceful protests that for weeks have gathered huge crowds against a rise in the pension age by two years to 64.

Some 440 police officers were injured and 475 people were arrested. Dozens of protesters were also injured. 

Against this backdrop, Britain’s King Charles’ state visit to France, due to start on Sunday, has been postponed. 

Earlier in the day, the head of the CFDT labour union, Mr Laurent Berger, urged Mr Macron to “make a gesture” to calm things down.

The solution, the influential Mr Berger suggested, would be to pause the reform for six months and look for compromises. 

But asked about this after a European Union summit in Brussels, Mr Macron only repeated comments he made earlier this week about being open to discussing future policy changes with unions. 

“We will continue to move forward. France cannot be at a standstill,” he said. “We will yield nothing to violence, I condemn violence with the utmost strength.”

He added that the pension law, which the government pushed through Parliament without a vote, would simply follow its course – which is now a review of its legality by France’s constitutional council. REUTERS

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