New protests in France over Macron plan to raise pension age

A previous strike last month left the streets of the French capital filled for days with mounds of reeking refuse.

Protesters, one carrying a poster “It’s still No” during a demonstration on Thursday, April 13, 2023 in Paris (Thibault Camus/AP/PA)

Protesters opposing President Emmanuel Macron’s unpopular plan to raise the retirement age to 64 marched in cities and towns around France on Thursday, in a final show of anger before a decision on whether the measure meets constitutional standards.

In Paris, as thousands marched along the designated protest route, some protesters holding lit flares veered off to the Constitutional Council, which is to decide on Friday whether to reject any or all parts of the legislation.