King Charles' Visit To France Postponed Amid Violent Pension Protests: Report
The King was supposed to arrive in France on Sunday for his first state visit as monarch, followed by a trip to Germany on Wednesday.
The French president's office has announced that King Charles' state visit to Paris has been postponed due to widespread strikes and protests, the Guardian reported.
The King was supposed to arrive in France on Sunday for his first state visit as monarch, followed by a trip to Germany on Wednesday.
The Élysée Palace stated in a statement that the decision to postpone the visit was made by the French and British governments following a phone call between Emmanuel Macron and Charles on Friday morning, following large protests against the French government.
Protests against the French president continued on Friday, following enormous rallies on Thursday, and a second day of action was planned for next Tuesday during the royal visit, the Guardian reported.
According to the Élysée statement, the monarch will be welcomed "in conditions that appropriate to our amicable ties" and the visit will be rescheduled "as soon as feasible."
More than 450 protesters were detained on Thursday, as more than a million people took to the streets throughout the country to oppose contentious pension proposals that would raise the retirement age from 62 to 64. According to unions, more than 3 million people gathered to the streets to protest a contentious measure that was rushed through parliament without a vote last week.
The president and his wife, Brigitte, were scheduled to host a supper for Charles and Camilla, the Queen Consort, at Versailles' former royal house. They were then scheduled to travel by rail to Bordeaux on Tuesday to see the destruction wrought by last summer's wildfires before celebrating the inauguration of the British embassy and touring an organic winery.
Before the demonstrations on Thursday, French officials assured that the visit would go ahead despite the fears of interruption. According to reports, French workers refused to physically roll out the red carpet.
“We will not be doing the furnishings, the red carpets or other flags and decorations," the power CGT union's statement was quoted by the Guardian in its report.
Sandrine Rousseau, of Europe Ecologie Les Verts, said: “It’s more important to listen to the demonstrators than to roll out the red carpet for the king.”
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The King and The Queen Consort’s state visit to France has been postponed. Their Majesties greatly look forward to the opportunity to visit France as soon as dates can be found.”
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