Fresh clashes in France over pension reforms
Clashes erupted in Paris on Thursday next to a Left Bank brasserie popular with President Emmanuel Macron, during a day of nationwide protests against a pension bill that he has pushed through despite widespread opposition. La Rotonde, where the awning was briefly on fire as protesters threw stones, bottles and paint at police, is well known in France for hosting a celebratory dinner by Macron as he led the first round of the 2017 presidential election. Protests have gathered huge crowds since January against the flagship reform of Macron's second term, which lifts the retirement age by two years to 64. But the rallies and strikes have also coalesced widespread anger against Macron, who is often the target of banners and chants. "Strike, blockade, Macron walk away!" protesters chanted in the western city of Rennes, where police fired tear gas at protesters who threw projectiles at them and set bins on fire. The protests have otherwise been largely peaceful, though violence has broken out on the fringes in cities across France. Polls show a wide majority of French oppose the pension legislation and the government's decision to push it through parliament without a vote. But a source close to Macron said that was not what mattered. "If the role of a president of the republic is to make decisions according to public opinion, there is no need to have elections," the source said. "Being president is to assume choices that may be unpopular at a given time." Labour groups have vowed to dig in their heels after talks with Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne on Wednesday, which lasted just an hour, failed to break the stalemate. Union leaders and protesters said the only way out of the crisis was for the legislation to be scrapped, an option which Borne and Macron have repeatedly rejected. (Reuters)