PARIS, France (AFP)— Violent protests against pension reform in France led to the postponement Friday of King Charles III's trip to the country, highlighting the growing security and political problems faced by President Emmanuel Macron.
Charles' first foreign trip as monarch had been intended to highlight warming Franco-British relations, but it has instead served to underline the severity of demonstrations engulfing Britain's neighbour.
Macron asked for the postponement during talks on Friday morning, a UK government spokesperson said, with the change blamed on a call for fresh strikes next Tuesday on the second day of the king's tour.
The decision to postpone was made "in order to be able to welcome His Majesty King Charles III in conditions which reflect our friendly relations", a statement from Macron's office said.
More than 450 people were arrested on Thursday and 441 members of the security forces were injured during the most violent day of protests since the start of the year against Macron's bid to raise the retirement age to 64, according to interior ministry figures.
More than 900 fires were also lit around Paris, with radical anarchist groups blamed for setting uncollected rubbish ablaze and smashing shop windows, leading to frequent clashes with riot police.
In southwestern Bordeaux, protesters set fire to the ancient wooden entrance to city hall, while other clashes took place in Rennes, Nantes and Toulouse.
Charles III had been set to visit the Bordeaux city hall on Tuesday after a day in Paris on Monday when he was scheduled to address the Senate and attend a state banquet at the Palace of Versailles.
Some Parisians felt the cancellation would avoid further embarrassment for France, with the streets of the capital strewn with rubbish because of a strike by waste collectors and protesters threatening to disrupt the royal visit.
"It would be a wiser decision for him to come in a little while so that we avoid a disaster," Annick Siguret, a retiree in her 60s, told AFP near overflowing bins and a vandalised bank in the capital's ninth district.
The second leg of Charles' European tour -- to Germany -- is expected to proceed as scheduled on Wednesday.
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