Macron booed, jeered, heckled on first trip out of Paris since signing pension reform

People in eastern France loudly booed French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday as he left Paris for his first trip since signing the unpopular pensions reform into law. Macron had left the presidential palace on the insistence of allies who told him he should meet voters after signing the reform as he was possibly appearing too reclusive to the public. The pensions reforms witnessed massive protests lasting months in France before being signed into law a few days back.

As Macron arrived in Selestat in the Alsace region, some locals chanted slogans such as "Macron resign!" while some personally heckled the 45-year-old.

One man accused Macron of having a "corrupt government on a scale we have never seen before", before adding "You will fall soon, you'll see".

Macron responded to the man by saying that his ideas were "unfair".

Macron later told reporters that such incidents won't stop him from visiting different regions of France. "This anger has to be heard and I am not deaf to it," he said. "This anger is being expressed, and I didn't expect anything else, but it won't stop me from continuing to make trips," he said.

Earlier on Wednesday, dozens of protesters banged kitchenware ahead of his arrival in the village of Muttersholtz. Police had to intervene and push back the crowds.

Asked by a journalist how he felt about the booing, the president replied: "I have had it worse."

However, there were some who encouraged Macron and told him to "keep going."

Macron commented, "There are people who are not happy. Everyone should be free to express themselves. Afterwards, the country has to go forward."

Pot bashing has a long history in France and has been often used as a form of protest. People took to it once again as Macron addressed the nation on Monday evening after signing the bill into law over the weekend.

"It's not saucepans that will enable France to move forward," Macron said at a village during his visit.

"The reality across the country is not just those making noise with pans or grumbling."

"You will always see me with people... I have to keep going," he added.

The controversial pension reform has increased the age of retirement in the country from 62 to 64. People staged massive protests against it, during which time Macron made very few public appearances.

Even though it is a law now, political opponents and trade unions have urged protesters to maintain their campaign and have called for a new day of mass protest on May 1.

(With inputs from agencies)

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