Protesters face prison for flipping off Macron

Three protesters from the commune of Selestat, near the German border, have been charged with contempt of a person holding public authority and could be jailed for a year. They are between the ages of 23 and 42 and will go to trial in September. A fourth person was also arrested but has not been charged due to insufficient evidence. Macron has faced strong opposition as he travels the country trying to convince his constituents of the merits of the pension reform package he signed into law earlier this month. Protesters have been disrupting President Emmanuel Macron's speeches in the Alsace region, with police confiscating saucepans from the backpacks of demonstrators.

Last month, a Yellow Vest protester was charged with contempt of a person holding public authority for allegedly writing "Macron ordure" (Macron trash) on a wall in Arques and referring to the president as trash in a social media post. French publisher Ernest Moret was arrested on anti-terrorism charges upon his arrival in London for his alleged involvement in protests at home. Macron has vowed not to back down on pension reform, but protesters have promised "100 days of action and anger" and threatening to cut the power to major events such as the Cannes film festival and the Monaco Grand Prix.