Macron’s pension reforms have sparked huge protests and strikes. Critics were also furious when he used special constitutional force last month to get a vote on the bill through parliament.
Some protesters in The Hague theater held up a banner Tuesday calling Macron “president of violence and hypocrisy. “
FRENCH EMPLOYEES TAKE TO THE STREETS TO OPPOSE 2-YEAR RETIREMENT AGE INCREASE
“I can answer those questions if you give me some time,” Macron replied, speaking in English. Protesters were temporarily evacuated from the hall.
It is “very vital to have this kind of discussion,” Macron said. “The day you say ‘when I disagree . . . It’s up to me’. . . you’re putting democracy at risk,” he added, citing examples of rioters storming the U. S. Capitol. The U. S. government building in 2021 and Brazil’s major government buildings earlier this year.
In his scripted speech, Macron laid out his long-term vision of European sovereignty, saying it is based on the five pillars of competitiveness, trade policy, protectionism, reciprocity and cooperation.
French President Emmanuel Macron watches protesters unfurl a banner reading “President of violence and hypocrisy” in a speech in The Hague, Netherlands, April 11, 2023. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Russia’s war in Ukraine “opened one of the most dangerous periods of our European Union. It is said that our union is strengthening through the crisis, but we have never faced such a threat,” Macron said.
PROTESTS GROW IN FRANCE AGAINST MACRON’S PENSION REFORM AS POLICE USE 4,000 GRENADES IN NON-LETHAL DISPERSAL
The COVID-19 pandemic and war “have been accelerators of this European sovereignty,” he added.
“We can put in place a new economic doctrine that allows us to reconcile the creation of tasks, the financing of our social model, the fight against climate repositioning and being more sovereign and for ourselves,” he said. We have war and our economy is militarized. “
The Hague speech came after Macron raised eyebrows with his comments on Taiwan following his recent visit to China.
“The answer we have to answer, as Europeans, is: Do we have an interest in accelerating (a crisis) in Taiwan?No,” Macron said in an interview published Sunday in French newspaper Les Echos and via Politico. Europe ×.
“The worst thing would be to think that we Europeans deserve the supporters of this factor and be inspired by the American calendar and an overreaction from China. “
The comments raised questions about whether Macron’s prospects are in line with the European Union’s position and whether the 27-nation bloc is capable of becoming the “third superpower” Macron says he hopes to build within “a few years. “
The interview was conducted on Friday, before China introduced large-scale fighting training in Taiwan that simulated the island’s closure in reaction to the Taiwanese president’s visit to the United States last week.
Macron emphasized the concept of “strategic autonomy” for Europe that he has advocated for years. He warned of what he called the “trap” that would lead the bloc “to be trapped in crises that are ours. “
China and Taiwan seceded in 1949 after a civil war. The Beijing government says the island is obliged to join the mainland, by force if necessary.
Macron’s two-day trip to Amsterdam and The Hague is the first state stop through a French leader since Jacques Chirac 23 years ago and underscores the close ties between the Netherlands and France and the two leaders.
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After arriving in Amsterdam, Macron, along with Dutch King Willem-Alexander, inspected an honor guard outside the capital’s royal palace as an army band played and French and Dutch flags fluttered in a strong breeze.
Then, before Macron laid a wreath at the national monument near the palace, a small organization of others briefly protesting Macron’s pension reforms waved a banner in French that read: “We will not be defeated in retirement. “
In the evening, Macron and his wife, Brigitte, return to Amsterdam for a banquet hosted by Willem-Alexander.
On Wednesday, Macron’s itinerary visits a science park in Amsterdam, talks to Prime Minister Mark Rutte and visits an exhibition of best-selling paintings by Dutch master Johannes Vermeer at the Rijksmuseum.