King Charles’s France visit postponed after pension protests

King Charles III’s official visit to France has been postponed at the request of President Emmanuel Macron, Downing Street said.

“We’re going to be rude and lack common sense,” the president said after unions called for a day of pension protests during a visit.

Our trip to Paris and Bordeaux was due to start on Sunday.

But both cities were embroiled in riots on Thursday, the worst since demonstrations began in January.

Buckingham Palace said its decision to postpone the three-day visit of King Charles III and Queen Camilla was due to “the situation in France”.

“Their Majesties are very much looking forward to the opportunity to visit France when dates are arranged,” the statement added.

President Macron said Thursday night that from the moment the union announced Tuesday’s 10th National Day of Action, it felt inappropriate for the King and Camilla to travel.

“We have a great deal of friendship, respect and respect for Her Majesty and the Queen and the British people, so I took the initiative this morning to make the call. [the King] Please explain the situation… Common sense and friendship allowed me to propose a postponement. ”

The UK government added that the decision was taken “with the consent of all parties”. Macron said France had suggested postponing the visit to early summer.

This decision is a grave shame for France and for President Macron. This was supposed to be a showcase for France, introducing the new monarch to the best of French life and cementing newly awakened friendships.

Opponents of the president left and right reacted quickly.

Republican Eric Ciotti said the cancellation would “disgrace our country”, while Jean-Luc Mélenchon, far left, was happy that the “Meeting of the Kings at Versailles” had disbanded. , the “British” were “security pathetic” by the French Interior Minister.

Protests have made travel impossible. Several French cities saw violence in the bystanders of mostly peaceful demonstrations on Thursday that saw more than a million people attend.

The entrance to Bordeaux’s town hall was set on fire. Tear gas was fired in Paris, and Interior Minister Gérald Dalmanin said he had seen 903 fires in the city where garbage had been left uncollected since 6 March.

Hundreds of police officers were injured across France, while protesters were injured by stun grenades, with the Council of Europe saying there was no justification for “excessive force” by authorities.

On Friday morning, French officials were trying to reassure the public that the state visit from 26 to 29 March had been carried out and was safe. Some British journalists had already traveled to Paris to cover the event.

This was a very important trip for the King. It was his first official visit and he is one of Britain’s closest and oldest allies. The King and Camilla were to ride along the Champs-Élysées in central Paris and have a dinner party with President Macron in Versailles.

However, every step of the visit was at risk of being the subject of protests and was eventually canceled. Even those on the red carpet were planning to strike.

Interior Minister Darmanin said on Friday there was “no known threat” to the king. Bordeaux mayor Pierre Frumick said the trip to Bordeaux was arranged “so that it can proceed under the utmost security so that the King is not exposed to the slightest difficulty”.

But faced with the prospect of showing the king a street littered with garbage and graffiti, of insecurity in all public spaces, and of all movements threatened by strikes, the French president took a natural step. I made a choice.

It may have been a joint decision with the British government, but he was under pressure.

A trip to Bordeaux was originally intended to focus on organic vineyards, but it went up in flames.

Domestically, the image of the president would have deteriorated. Dining with the king at Versailles was jarringly inappropriate and could have worked too directly in the hands of his detractors.

President Macron in a television interview on the eve of Thursday’s national action roused protesters when he said government reforms were economically necessary and was ready to accept the resulting unpopularity. It looked like it did

His government decided on Monday to push through reforms that raise the pensionable age from 62 to 64 and extend workers’ contributions to 43.

Presidents and prime ministers, realizing they would have a hard time passing legislation in parliament, resorted to their constitutional powers to bypass the vote.

“We listened to President Macron yesterday and it was like someone was spitting in our faces,” said Adèle, a 19-year-old law student in Nanterre. “There is another way to do this pension reform. The reason he doesn’t do it is because he doesn’t listen to the people. There is a clear lack of democracy,” she told the BBC. rice field.

The postponement would be very embarrassing for President Macron, but it would also be disappointing for King Charles.

State visits are made on government advice. The background so far has been that this is an important diplomatic statement on re-establishing relations with our European neighbors.

The King and Camilla were scheduled to travel from France to Germany on Wednesday. Charles’ first state visit begins in Berlin instead.