Anger at Macron mounts as French unions hold new protests

Dock workers stand in front of a burning barricade next the port of Marseille in southern France on Wednesday March 22 2023 (Daniel Cole/AP)

French unions are holding their first mass demonstrations since President Emmanuel Macron inflamed public anger by forcing a higher retirement age through parliament without a vote.

Strikes are upending travel and blockades are expected at ports, refineries and garbage dumps on Thursday.

Violence has intensified in recent days at scattered protests against the pension reform and Mr Macron’s leadership.

Mr Macron is stubbornly resisting the growing discontent on the streets of France, saying on Wednesday that the pension Bill to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 must be implemented by the end of the year.

A woman watches through a window as protesters march in Paris on Wednesday (Lewis Joly/AP)

Critics attacked Mr Macron for the remarks, describing him as “self-satisfied”, “out of touch” and “offensive”.

The president’s comments were his first since the government forced the Bill through parliament last week for lack of enough support.

The government then won two confidence votes in the lower chamber of parliament on Monday.

The Bill must now pass a review by France’s Constitutional Council before becoming law.

The 45-year-old centrist president, in his second and final term, repeatedly said he is convinced France’s retirement system needs to be modified to keep it financed.

Opponents propose other solutions including higher taxes on the wealthy or companies, which Mr Macron says would hurt the economy.