Macron wants French pension plan implemented by end of year
A man at a bar watches French President Emmanuel Macron speaking during an interview with journalists on television in Marseille, southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
A family watch the interview of French President Emmanuel Macron on national television in Saint-Pee sur Nivelle, south-western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron appeared on national television on Wednesday for the first time since his government forced through the bill age amid mass protests. (AP Photo/Bob Edme)
French President Emmanuel Macron is pictured on national television in Saint-Pee sur Nivelle, south-western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron appeared on national television on Wednesday for the first time since his government forced through the bill age amid mass protests. (AP Photo/Bob Edme)
Dock workers stand in front of a burning barricade next the port of Marseille southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023.The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Dock workers face riot police as they stand in front of a burning barricade next the port of Marseille southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Dock workers stand in front of a burning barricade next the port of Marseille southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023.The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Dock workers face riot police as they stand in front of a burning barricade next the port of Marseille southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
People sit at a bar while French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during an interview with journalists on television in Marseille, southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
A man eats his lunch at a bar while French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with journalists on television in Marseille, southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year."(AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
A demonstrator kicks off a tear gas canister during a protest in Rennes, western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
A riot police officer shields from an incoming flare during a protest in Rennes, western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
Riot police scuffle with protesters during a protest in Rennes, western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
Riot police scuffle with protesters during a protest in Rennes, western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
A protester throws a smoke canister towards riot police during a protest in Rennes, western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
Demonstrators march during a protest in Paris, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
Railway workers hold a banner reading ‘Until withdrawal’ during a demonstration in Lyon, central France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
Uncollected garbages are pictured near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. French garbage collectors, refinery workers and others are striking again. French President Emmanuel Macron says the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
French Lawmakers Danielle Obbono, left and Mathilde Panot march during a protest in Paris, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
A man at a bar watches French President Emmanuel Macron speaking during an interview with journalists on television in Marseille, southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
A man at a bar watches French President Emmanuel Macron speaking during an interview with journalists on television in Marseille, southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
A family watch the interview of French President Emmanuel Macron on national television in Saint-Pee sur Nivelle, south-western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron appeared on national television on Wednesday for the first time since his government forced through the bill age amid mass protests. (AP Photo/Bob Edme)
A family watch the interview of French President Emmanuel Macron on national television in Saint-Pee sur Nivelle, south-western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron appeared on national television on Wednesday for the first time since his government forced through the bill age amid mass protests. (AP Photo/Bob Edme)
French President Emmanuel Macron is pictured on national television in Saint-Pee sur Nivelle, south-western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron appeared on national television on Wednesday for the first time since his government forced through the bill age amid mass protests. (AP Photo/Bob Edme)
French President Emmanuel Macron is pictured on national television in Saint-Pee sur Nivelle, south-western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. French President Emmanuel Macron appeared on national television on Wednesday for the first time since his government forced through the bill age amid mass protests. (AP Photo/Bob Edme)
Dock workers stand in front of a burning barricade next the port of Marseille southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023.The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Dock workers stand in front of a burning barricade next the port of Marseille southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023.The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Dock workers face riot police as they stand in front of a burning barricade next the port of Marseille southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Dock workers face riot police as they stand in front of a burning barricade next the port of Marseille southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Dock workers stand in front of a burning barricade next the port of Marseille southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023.The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Dock workers stand in front of a burning barricade next the port of Marseille southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023.The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Dock workers face riot police as they stand in front of a burning barricade next the port of Marseille southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
Dock workers face riot police as they stand in front of a burning barricade next the port of Marseille southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
People sit at a bar while French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during an interview with journalists on television in Marseille, southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
People sit at a bar while French President Emmanuel Macron speaks during an interview with journalists on television in Marseille, southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
A man eats his lunch at a bar while French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with journalists on television in Marseille, southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year."(AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
A man eats his lunch at a bar while French President Emmanuel Macron speaks with journalists on television in Marseille, southern France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year."(AP Photo/Daniel Cole)
A demonstrator kicks off a tear gas canister during a protest in Rennes, western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
A demonstrator kicks off a tear gas canister during a protest in Rennes, western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
A riot police officer shields from an incoming flare during a protest in Rennes, western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
A riot police officer shields from an incoming flare during a protest in Rennes, western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
Riot police scuffle with protesters during a protest in Rennes, western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
Riot police scuffle with protesters during a protest in Rennes, western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
Riot police scuffle with protesters during a protest in Rennes, western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
Riot police scuffle with protesters during a protest in Rennes, western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
A protester throws a smoke canister towards riot police during a protest in Rennes, western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
A protester throws a smoke canister towards riot police during a protest in Rennes, western France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
Demonstrators march during a protest in Paris, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
Demonstrators march during a protest in Paris, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
Railway workers hold a banner reading ‘Until withdrawal’ during a demonstration in Lyon, central France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
Railway workers hold a banner reading ‘Until withdrawal’ during a demonstration in Lyon, central France, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. The bill pushed through by President Emmanuel Macron without lawmakers’ approval still faces a review by the Constitutional Council before it can be signed into law. Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)
Uncollected garbages are pictured near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. French garbage collectors, refinery workers and others are striking again. French President Emmanuel Macron says the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
Uncollected garbages are pictured near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. French garbage collectors, refinery workers and others are striking again. French President Emmanuel Macron says the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” (AP Photo/Christophe Ena)
French Lawmakers Danielle Obbono, left and Mathilde Panot march during a protest in Paris, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
French Lawmakers Danielle Obbono, left and Mathilde Panot march during a protest in Paris, Wednesday, March 22, 2023. Macron said Wednesday that the pension bill that he pushed through without a vote in parliament needs to be implemented by the “end of the year.” Meanwhile, oil shipments in the country were disrupted amid strikes at several refineries in western and southern France. (AP Photo/Lewis Joly)
PARIS (AP) — President Emmanuel Macron is stubbornly resisting growing discontent on the streets of France, saying on Wednesday that the pension bill he pushed through without a vote in parliament to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 must be implemented by the end of the year.
After his interview broadcast on national television, critics attacked Macron, describing him as “self-satisfied,” “out of touch” and “offensive.”
Some suggested that the president is playing with fire amid strikes and daily demonstrations, some leading to clashes with police. Unions have called for nationwide protests on Thursday that are likely to further raise tensions.
“He is in absolute denial,” said Olivier Faure, the head of the Socialist Party. It’s as though “there’s a well lit fire and he is pouring jerrycans of gas on the flames.”
The president’s remarks Wednesday were his first since the government finally forced the pension bill through parliament last week, then survived two no-confidence votes in the lower chamber of parliament Monday.
France’s Constitutional Council will review the bill in the coming weeks, and it can only be turned into law after the body gives its approval.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has taken the brunt of the opposition’s fury during often nasty parliamentary debates, but Macron said in his interview Wednesday that he “trusts” her to continue leading the government and suggested that he is not planning a government reshuffle.
The 45-year-old centrist president, in his second and final term, repeatedly said he was convinced that France’s retirement system needed to be modified to keep it financed.
“That reform is not a luxury, it is not fun. It’s a necessity for the country,” he said, while conceding that “we must listen to (its opponents), listen to their anger and respond to it.”
As he spoke, dockers in Marseille, garbage workers in Paris striking for a 17th day and energy workers at a Normandy refinery were among those refusing to work and setting up blockades.
A partial disruption of fuel shipments due to blocked refineries in Normandy and southern France led to shortages at gas stations, notably in the southeast, while rubbish piled up in Paris despite a police order to provide at least a minimum level of service.
In the Brittany city of Rennes, a protest by fishermen angry at rising fuel prices and an EU draft plan to ban weighted nets that sweep the seabed turned into a violent confrontation as groups protesting the retirement reform joined in. Police fired tear gas and water cannons to disperse rioters burning garbage and throwing flares. At one point, protesters drove a tractor into the mayhem.
As a protest in northern Paris degenerated, riot police surged forward, trying to corral rowdy demonstrators down a side street.
Two Associated Press journalists at the scene withdrew to let police pass, but officers used their shields to slam the journalists against the wall, pinning them there despite their clear identification as members of the media.
The unusually muscular action comes amid growing tensions between police and radical protesters in recent days, after two months of largely peaceful demonstrations. Some journalists say they are being increasingly targeted, by police as well as by some protesters.
Macron made a distinction in his interview between the union-organized protests he views as legitimate and the small, mobile groups setting fire to garbage bags and bins that end in confrontations with police.
To make his point, the president evoked rioters storming the U.S. Capitol in 2021 and Brazil’s top government buildings earlier this year, as well as the yellow vest movement against social injustice in France in 2018 which led to violent clashes and vandalism in Paris streets.
“When the United States of America lived what they lived at the Capitol, when Brazil lived what it lived, when you have seen extreme violence in Germany, the Netherlands, or sometimes here at home in the past ... we must say that we do respect (peaceful protesters), we do listen, we’re trying to move the country forward ... but we cannot accept factious people nor factions,” he said.
Unions, opposition politicians and other opponents insist they want the retirement measure withdrawn.
Workers blocking a waste management plant in Issy-les-Moulineaux on the southern edge of Paris watched the president’s interview with disappointment.
“We will carry on the resistance,” Frédéric Probel, local leader of the leftist CGT union, said in an interview with the Associated Press. “It’s not that (workers) don’t want to work,” he said, adding, “So what is the message? We must resist.”
Macron acknowledged that a majority of the French are opposed to the reform. “But between opinion polls and the general interest of the country, I’m choosing the general interest ... And if it means bearing unpopularity afterwards, I will bear it.”
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Associated Press writers Helena Alves and Nicolas Garriga in Paris, Alex Turnbull in Issy-les-Moulineaux and Jeremias Gonzalez in Rennes contributed to this report.