French protesters march past garbage piles, resisting Macron

By THOMAS ADAMSON and NICOLAS GARRIGA
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — A smattering of protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s plan to raise France’s retirement age have taken place in Paris and beyond. Largely non-violent protests were held in various French cities as uncollected garbage piled up amid a strike by sanitation workers. In Marseille, protesters got past police to occupy the main train station for around 15 minutes. In the eastern city of Besancon, hundreds of demonstrators burned voter cards. But an eerie calm returned to the French capital after the two consecutive nights of unrest. Police banned further gatherings on the Place de la Concorde, where protesters tossed an effigy of Macron into a bonfire on Friday. They gathered at a different square on Saturday.