PROTESTS PUSH MACRON TO DELAY CHARLES’ VISIT

Ongoing unrest across France and calls for a new round of demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension plan persuaded officials to postpone a planned state visit next week by Britain’s King Charles III.

While a clear disappointment to the royal palace, the decision is also a bad sign for Macron. The 45-year-old leader is increasingly detested by protesters and contested in parliament, and seen as oblivious to France’s souring mood as he sticks to his positions. And that’s now hurting his global image, too.

Charles had been scheduled to arrive in France on Sunday to celebrate France and Britain’s renewed friendship. But the protests and strikes against Macron’s decision to raise France’s retirement age from 62 to 64 promised to impact his visit, with some workers refusing to roll out the red carpet for the king’s arrival.

Violence soared during Thursday’s ninth union-organized nationwide marches. Over 450 protesters were arrested in Paris and beyond, and hundreds of police and demonstrators were injured, as gatherings nationwide drew more than a million people.

There were scattered protest actions on Friday. Train traffic was slowed, rows of trucks blocked access to Marseille’s port for several hours, and debris littered the streets of Paris.

Macron has made the proposed pension changes the priority of his second term, arguing they are needed to keep the pension system from diving into deficit as France, like many richer nations, faces lower birth rates and longer life expectancy.