| More protests in France |
| Another round of strikes, street demonstrations and sometimes violent protests took place across France yesterday, as the fight against President Emmanuel Macron’s pension overhaul continues. The government rejected a call by labor unions to suspend changes to the retirement system. |
| The disturbances were familiar to many in France after three months of conflict: Roads were blocked, transit was interrupted, gas stations experienced shortages. But the protests were not as widely attended nor as violent as those last week. Authorities had deployed 13,000 officers before yesterday’s demonstrations, including more than 5,000 in Paris. |
| Neither Macron nor opponents of his pension overhaul are backing down, though tensions remain high and the standoff has grown increasingly bitter. Unions, almost all opposition parties and more than two-thirds of the French public disagree with his plan. The unions called for a new day of protest and strikes next week. |
| One consequence: King Charles III had planned to start a royal tour in France, but he postponed his trip. He will instead travel to Germany today for his first trip abroad as Britain’s monarch. |
| In other French news: Prosecutors raided major banks, including Société Générale and BNP Paribas, as part of a multicountry investigation into what authorities say is one of Europe’s biggest tax thefts. |
