Macron defends pension law, more protests planned
French President Emmanuel Macron defended his controversial pension reform in a televised address on Monday, insisting that raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 was necessary to keep the country's pension system from collapsing.
Macron acknowledged that the reform was unpopular, DW reported.
"Is this reform accepted? Obviously not. Despite months of talks, a consensus wasn't found, and I regret that. We must draw all the lessons from that," he said.
He gave himself 100 days to heal the country after weeks of protests and anger, asking his government to open talks with unions on a wide range of issues.
Trade unions, who have been leading protests against the reform, have, however, vowed to continue their efforts.
As Macron delivered his speech, demonstrators banged pots and pans in front of town halls across the country, and in Paris, small groups of protesters set garbage bins on fire.
Police in the city of Lyon reported that protesters lit bins on fire and hurled projectiles at officers before being driven back by tear gas, with similar scenes in other major towns.
Macron signed the reform into law on Saturday, hours after France's top constitutional body cleared the change.
In the lead-up to the decision, France had been rocked by general strikes and saw citizens engaged in pitched street battles with police as many aspects of daily life continue to be affected by protests and strikes.
In many cities, opponents to the pension law took to the streets to bang pots and pans during Macron's televised address to the nation, with the rallying cry: 'Macron won't listen to us? We won't listen to him!'