02:20Belgium: 'Common sense leads us to propose a postponement' - Macron on King Charles' France visit delayed because of protests
French President Emmanuel Macron said it was 'common sense' to postpone the planned visit of Britain’s King Charles III to France next week amid nationwide unrest over the government’s pension reform, during a news briefing in Brussels on Friday.
“I think that we would not be serious and lack a certain common sense to propose to His Majesty the King and Queen Consort to come on a state visit in the middle of the demonstrations,” the French President explained. “Common sense and friendship lead us to propose a postponement.”
King Charles had been scheduled to arrive in France on Sunday to meet with Macron in Paris. The monarch was also expected to visit Bordeaux before moving on to Germany on Wednesday.
Macron went on to announce that a new state visit has been proposed for the summer when it is hoped that ‘calm’ will be restored.
“So we have to organise it when calm will be back. And so we have proposed that at the beginning of the summer, depending on our respective agendas,” he said.
According to the statement of the Elysee Palace on the day, the decision to postpone the visit had been taken by the French and British governments through a telephone conversation between Charles and Macron on Friday morning.
Buckingham Palace also confirmed that the trip of the British monarch and Queen Consort to France, from Sunday through Wednesday, was shelved on Friday morning.
Later, Macron appeared defiant and claimed he would be pushing forward with the pension reform, despite the ongoing protests.
“So we have an agenda, it will continue to move forward,” he said. We will not give in to violence and I condemn it in the strongest terms."
On Monday, French lawmakers narrowly rejected a no-confidence motion in the government by just nine votes. A second, introduced by the right-wing 'National Rally', also failed to pass by a much larger margin.
The motions were put forward after the government decided to force its plan to raise the retirement age, from 62 to 64, through the National Assembly without a vote last Thursday.
While it passed in the upper house, President Emmanuel Macron’s administration used the executive power with numbers in the lower house making the vote too close to call.
Protests have taken place since the changes were announced earlier this year, and have intensified across the country in the past few days.
02:20French President Emmanuel Macron said it was 'common sense' to postpone the planned visit of Britain’s King Charles III to France next week amid nationwide unrest over the government’s pension reform, during a news briefing in Brussels on Friday.
“I think that we would not be serious and lack a certain common sense to propose to His Majesty the King and Queen Consort to come on a state visit in the middle of the demonstrations,” the French President explained. “Common sense and friendship lead us to propose a postponement.”
King Charles had been scheduled to arrive in France on Sunday to meet with Macron in Paris. The monarch was also expected to visit Bordeaux before moving on to Germany on Wednesday.
Macron went on to announce that a new state visit has been proposed for the summer when it is hoped that ‘calm’ will be restored.
“So we have to organise it when calm will be back. And so we have proposed that at the beginning of the summer, depending on our respective agendas,” he said.
According to the statement of the Elysee Palace on the day, the decision to postpone the visit had been taken by the French and British governments through a telephone conversation between Charles and Macron on Friday morning.
Buckingham Palace also confirmed that the trip of the British monarch and Queen Consort to France, from Sunday through Wednesday, was shelved on Friday morning.
Later, Macron appeared defiant and claimed he would be pushing forward with the pension reform, despite the ongoing protests.
“So we have an agenda, it will continue to move forward,” he said. We will not give in to violence and I condemn it in the strongest terms."
On Monday, French lawmakers narrowly rejected a no-confidence motion in the government by just nine votes. A second, introduced by the right-wing 'National Rally', also failed to pass by a much larger margin.
The motions were put forward after the government decided to force its plan to raise the retirement age, from 62 to 64, through the National Assembly without a vote last Thursday.
While it passed in the upper house, President Emmanuel Macron’s administration used the executive power with numbers in the lower house making the vote too close to call.
Protests have taken place since the changes were announced earlier this year, and have intensified across the country in the past few days.