French court approves Macron’s plan to raise retirement age despite protests

A barricade burns during a protest in Lyon (Laurent Cipriani/AP)

France’s Constitutional Council has approved an unpopular plan to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 in a victory for President Emmanuel Macron after months of mass protests.

Hundreds of union activists and others gathered peacefully in Paris on Friday evening following the ruling, before some groups broke off in marches toward the Bastille plaza and beyond, setting fire to rubbish bins and scooters as police fired tear gas or pushed them back.