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Angry crowd heckles France's Macron over pensions legislation

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Protesters greeted French president Emmanuel Macron in his first public outing since he passed a law that increased the retirement age, a move unpopular with many.

Macron encountered hostile banners outside a factory in eastern Alsace. Workers were also banging pots. The factory's electrical power was briefly shut off by unionized workers.

As he passed through a village nearby, many shouted, "Macron, quit!" One man said to him: "We do not want this reform (of pensions), what don't you get?"

A second man said he was the leader of a corrupt regime and added: "You will fall soon. Just wait and see."

A woman thanked Macron for his work, and some people asked for selfies.

Even in a region that is pro Macron and voted slightly higher for him in 2022 than the national average, the reception was mostly negative.

Macron has signed into law a change in the retirement age. This means that citizens will have to work for two more years, up to 64, before they can receive their state pension.

This was after three month of protests which mobilised large crowds at times turning violent. Opinion polls indicate that a large majority of voters are against the reform.

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In the village Selestat the centrist President said that he did not mind if people expressed their discontent, "but the nation must move forward".

Macron had earlier dismissed the discontent during his factory visit by saying that "pans won't help France advance".

In an attempt to highlight the positive aspects of France’s legalisation of labour, he said that a society cannot listen to only those who “make the loudest noise”.

Macron and his government have said they are ready to move forward and take other measures in relation to working conditions, law, order, education, and health concerns.

His Selestat appearance made it clear that many people were not yet ready to move forward. They weren't the only ones.

In Paris, a free climber also known as "French Spiderman", scaled a skyscraper of 38 floors to show his opposition to pension laws.

Alain Robert told Emmanuel Macron: "I'm here today to tell you to come down to Earth... by climbing without a safety net."

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