Angry Crowd Heckles France’s Macron over Pensions

French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with people during a visit in Selestat, eastern France, April 19, 2023. (Reuters)
French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with people during a visit in Selestat, eastern France, April 19, 2023. (Reuters)
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Angry Crowd Heckles France’s Macron over Pensions

French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with people during a visit in Selestat, eastern France, April 19, 2023. (Reuters)
French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with people during a visit in Selestat, eastern France, April 19, 2023. (Reuters)

Protesters greeted French President Emmanuel Macron with boos and calls for him to resign in his first public appearance since he signed into law an unpopular rise in the retirement age.

Outside a factory he was visiting in the eastern Alsace region, Macron was faced with hostile banners and banging on pots. Electrical power inside the factory was also cut briefly.

Then as he walked through the crowd in a nearby village, many shouted "Macron, resign!" and one man told him: "We don't want this pension (reform), what don't you get?"

Another man told him he was leading a corrupt government and added: "You'll fall soon, just wait and see."

There were also some cheers, one man told him to "hang in there," a woman thanked him for his work and others asked for selfies.

But even in a region that is pro-Macron - it voted slightly more for him than the national average in the 2022 presidential election - the welcome was mostly hostile.

Macron signed into law at the weekend the rise in the retirement age which means citizens must work two years longer before receiving their state pension.

That was after three months of protests that gathered huge crowds and at times turned violent.

In the village of Selestat, Macron said he was fine with people expressing their discontent. "But the country must move forward," he said.

Earlier at the factory visit, he had also shrugged off the display of discontent, saying: "Pans won't help France move forward".

He said it was not possible for a society to listen only to those who "make the most noise" as he sought to highlight positive aspects of France's labor legalization.



Israel Warns 'Tehran Will Burn' if More Missiles Fired

A man rides his motorcycle next to an anti-Israel poster in Tehran on June 14, 2025. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP)
A man rides his motorcycle next to an anti-Israel poster in Tehran on June 14, 2025. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP)
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Israel Warns 'Tehran Will Burn' if More Missiles Fired

A man rides his motorcycle next to an anti-Israel poster in Tehran on June 14, 2025. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP)
A man rides his motorcycle next to an anti-Israel poster in Tehran on June 14, 2025. (Photo by Atta KENARE / AFP)

Israel’s defense minister warned Saturday that “Tehran will burn” if Iran continues firing missiles on Israel after at least three people died and dozens were wounded Saturday morning, following a series of blistering Israeli attacks on the heart of Iran’s nuclear program and its armed forces.

Speaking after an assessment meeting with the army’s chief of staff, Defense Minister Israel Katz said that Iran will pay a heavy price for harming Israeli citizens.

"If (Iranian Supreme leader Ali) Khamenei continues to fire missiles at the Israeli home front — Tehran will burn,” Katz said.

Iranian state television reported online that air defense systems were firing in the cities of Khorramabad, Kermanshah and Tabriz, signaling the start of what could be a new Israeli attack. Footage from Tabriz showed black smoke rising from the city, according to a video posted by an affiliate of Iranian state TV.

Israel’s assault used warplanes — as well as drones smuggled into the country in advance, according to officials — to hit key facilities and kill top generals and scientists. Iran’s UN ambassador said 78 people were killed and more than 320 wounded in the attacks.

Iran retaliated by launching waves of drones and ballistic missiles at Israel, where explosions lit the night skies over Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and shook the buildings below.

Israel's military said on Saturday that its fighter jets were set to resume striking targets in Tehran.

"The way to Iran has been paved," the military's chief of staff and air force chief were quoted as saying in an army statement.

The military "is proceeding according to its operational plans, and (Israeli air force) fighters jets are set to resume striking targets in Tehran," it added.