Macron addresses nation after strikes and protests paralyse France

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, addressed the nation today, appealing to the thousands protesting and participating in strikes in major cities across France. Macron said: ’I don’t enjoy doing this, the reform is necessary’ after the French president used controversial executive powers to raise the pension age to 64 without a vote in parliament. More than 1,500 demonstrations have taken place across the country, including bin collectors striking for a number of days in Paris. Elsewhere in Marseille, dock workers took industrial action to block access to the country’s biggest port. The French president told the nation: ’I will not tolerate any misbehaviour’ after protests were fuelled by the government surviving two confidence votes on Tuesday.