King postpones as anti-Macron French trip riots persist
The Independent|March 25, 2023
Security threats including graffiti reading Death to the King” convinced Emmanuel Macron to postpone King Charles’s state visit to France, it has emerged, amid nationwide strikes and violent protests.
PETER ALLEN & TARA COBHAM
King postpones as anti-Macron French trip riots persist

The macabre message was left by protesters rioting against the French president's decision to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

Nightly riots were expected to intensify if the King went ahead with his trip to Paris tomorrow as planned. The three-day visit with Camilla, the Queen Consort, was to be Charles's first trip abroad since becoming King. The decision came as:

Protesters scrawled "Charles III do you know the guillotine?" in Paris

Mr Macron said delaying the visit was "common sense'

Fears were raised over "dangerous" royal handshakes

450 were arrested after nationwide demonstrations

Violence peaked after coordinated rallies and strikes across France, which crippled travel and public services and saw rioters set fire to piles of uncollected rubbish. In Bordeaux, protesters set the historic city hall alight. There were more protests yesterday, with the port of Marseille blockaded for several hours and debris littering the streets of Paris.

This story is from the March 25, 2023 edition of The Independent.

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This story is from the March 25, 2023 edition of The Independent.

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