JAKARTA - King Charles' state visit from England to France on Sunday was postponed, the Elysee Palace said, after a demonstration against a change in the pension system carried out by President Emmanuel Macron, turned violent in Paris and other cities in France.
The Elysee Palace said a joint decision was taken by the British and French governments after unions called for strikes and national demonstrations during the British King's visit.
This delay is considered to be a very embarrassing thing for President Macron, who hopes King Charles' visit will mark a symbolic step in the efforts of the two countries to open a new chapter after a bad relationship over the years post-Brexit.
Earlier, King Charles was scheduled to make his first state trip abroad to France for three days, before then continuing to Germany.
"This visit will be rescheduled as soon as possible," the Elysee Palace said in a statement.
Meanwhile, a source at Buckingham Palace said King Charles' visit to Germany would continue as planned.
It is known that a number of people in black were involved in clashes on the streets with police for several hours in the French capital on Thursday, storming a McDonald's restaurant, destroying bus stops and burning piles of garbage that had accumulated during the strike.
In Bordeaux, at the heart of one of the most famous wine-producing areas in France and where King Charles is also planned to visit, protesters burned the entrance to the city hall.
The cancellation of King Charles' visit plans, including plans for a luxurious banquet at the Versailles Palace, would only add further pressure on President Macron to find a way out of the crisis that has led to the worst unrest in France, since the 'Linging Rompi' uprising in 2018/2019.
Violence escalated after President Macron's Government pushed for legislation to increase the retirement age by two to 64 years, through parliament without a vote. Meanwhile, his government does not have a dominant majority.
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