Anti-Macron Protest Held As French President Visits Lyon (+Video)
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Police used tear gas to disperse protesters who rallied in Lyon against French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday during his visit to the city.
The city's prefecture had imposed a ban on all gatherings and protests around the memorial to Jean Moulin, a hero of the French Resistance, on the anniversary of the end of World War II, where Macron delivered a speech dedicated to his memory.
"We are going to make your life miserable, even if you finally renounce to apply the pensions reform we are going to make your life miserable," a protester said. "You won't end your term," he added.
Police and activists estimated the rally's turnout to be between 3,000 and 5,000 people, with demands including the repeal of Macron's latest pension reform.
Meanwhile, French authorities faced criticism on Monday for authorizing a march by around 600 neo-Nazis in Paris over the weekend.
The annual rally by far-right extremists, dressed in black, was permitted as restrictions were put in place to clamp down on protesters banging saucepans against the government.
Several hundred men from far-right groups marched with flags and chanted slogans to commemorate the death of a far-right activist, Sebastien Deyzieu, in 1994. The protest was authorised by city authorities, and police were seen patrolling nearby.
France celebrated its traditional public holiday on Monday, marking the victory of Allied forces over Nazi Germany in 1945 and the lives lost in the fight against fascism.
