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.



Trump to Attend Security Meeting on Friday after Israeli Strikes on Iran

US President Donald Trump points a finger as he delivers remarks during a rally in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, US, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
US President Donald Trump points a finger as he delivers remarks during a rally in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, US, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
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Trump to Attend Security Meeting on Friday after Israeli Strikes on Iran

US President Donald Trump points a finger as he delivers remarks during a rally in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, US, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo
US President Donald Trump points a finger as he delivers remarks during a rally in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, US, June 10, 2025. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Photo

US President Donald Trump will attend a National Security Council meeting on Friday morning, the White House said late on Thursday after Israeli strikes on Iran that have put the Middle East on edge.

The meeting will be held at 11 am ET (1500 GMT) on Friday, the White House said.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

Israel said early on Friday Middle East time and late Thursday US time that it had struck Iran to block Tehran from developing atomic weapons, and Iranian media and witnesses reported explosions including at the country's main uranium enrichment facility.

US top diplomat Marco Rubio called Israel's strikes against Iran a "unilateral action" and said Washington was not involved while also urging Tehran not to target US interests or personnel in the region.

The US State Department said late on Thursday that the US Embassy in Jerusalem has directed all US government employees and their family members to shelter in place until further notice.

CONTEXT

Trump had been seeking a new nuclear deal to place limits on Iran's disputed uranium enrichment activities but the talks have appeared to be deadlocked.

Trump said earlier on Thursday an Israeli strike on Iran "could very well happen" but reiterated hopes for a peaceful resolution.

The US military is planning for the full range of contingencies in the Middle East, including the possibility that it might have to help evacuate American civilians, a US official told Reuters.

SECURITY ALERT BY US EMBASSY

A security alert by the US embassy in Jerusalem said the security environment was complex and could change quickly.

In response to security incidents and without advance notice, the US embassy may further restrict or prohibit US government employees and their family members from traveling to certain areas of Israel and the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the State Department said.