Objectors interrupt Macron's address

The French President Emmanuel Macron was interrupted by a group of hecklers during a keynote speech in the Netherlands on Tuesday. The dissenters accused him of contempt for democracy in forcing through a pension reform that has triggered months-long protests in France. Macron replied that while he was ready to discuss the political process in France, democratically made decisions should be respected. The Dutch police said that one man had been arrested and taken to the station for “possible disorder and violating the [local ordinance] due to the use of alcohol.” Another minor protest action also took place outside the venue where Macron was delivering his speech, with demonstrators chanting slogans like “against, against, against 49.3, what we want is democracy”. While Macron has repeatedly argued that without a pension system overhaul, France will experience significant financial difficulties, his legislative push triggered massive violent protests stretching across the country, which so far show no signs of abating.