King Charles III and Queen Consort’s state trip to France cancelled amid violent protests over pension reform

Protests have grown increasingly violent in France in recent days, following new legislation forced through by president Emmanuel Macron over the state pension age
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King Charles III’s state visit to France, with the Queen Consort, has been postponed amid violent protests in the country. A statement said the trip will be rearranged as soon as possible.

Élysée Palace cancelled the trip due to unrest, with Buckingham Palace confirming that King Charles and the Queen Consort will visit Germany next week as planned.

It comes a day after French unions called for a tenth day of strikes and protests next Tuesday. If the protests and strike action were to go ahead, they would have coincided with the last full day of King Charles III’s state visit to the country.

On Thursday (March 23), up to 1.08m people took part in protests across France, with 119,000 in the country’s capital, Paris, according to figures from the interior ministry. People in France are protesting over pensions reform.

Scenes from the protests that have grown increasingly violent over the last few days have been broadcast on TV. Police said 33 people have been arrested in the French capital following the protests.

Pictures from the protests in France show local shops getting their windows smashed, whilst fires have broken out in a number of areas as protesters ignite barricades of wood and rubbish.

The protests come after a new legislation was forced through by president Emmanuel Macron and his government. The legislation was put through without a vote, raising the retirement age from 62 to 64.