Pension Protests Continue in France, as Macron Responds

Pension reform protesters launched fireworks at police in Lyon on Monday evening, April 17, as French President Emmanuel Macron said he was not deaf to their concerns, and announced a 100-day plan to address them.

In a televised speech broadcast two days after France’s constitutional approval of the pension and retirement plan, Macron acknowledged the public’s disapproval, and invited trade unions and employers’ organizations to discuss the issues with him.

“I heard in the demonstrations an opposition to the pension reform but also a desire to find meaning in one’s work, to improve the conditions, to have careers that allow one to progress in life,” Macron tweeted following the broadcast.

“We have before us, all together, 100 days of ambition and action in the service of France,” he said.

Footage from @bismuthback shows protests in Lyon on Monday night, where protesters launched fireworks and broke into the town hall, according to local news. Credit: @bismuthback via Storyful

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