Protests Continue in France As Macron Signs Pension Reform Bill (+Video)

Police dispersed protesters erecting barricades and bonfires on the streets of Paris with tear gas.

Macron spoke to the nation Monday evening in a televised address about the contested pension reform bill after signing it into law Saturday morning. The move came after the Constitutional Council on Friday ruled in favor of its most contentious part on raising the legal age of retirement.

Protesters gathered in many cities across the country during Macron's speech to once more express their rejection as they have done since January, according to media reports. While some used pots and pans to make noise, others set fire to dumpsters and e-bikes in Paris streets, the Le Monde daily reported.

Thousands also protested in cities such as Lyon, Rennes, Marseille, Nantes and Bordeaux, where tensions rose in some spots, the Le Figaro newspaper reported. Paris police counted 2,000 protesters in the capital, and police used tear gas to disperse them, Le Figaro added.

"The measures planned in the bill will progressively enter into force this fall," Macron said, expressing his will to turn the page on this reform and move on to other projects. However, the head of state did not back down from his decision, reiterating the need to enact the reform due to the increasing number of retired people and life expectancy.

The controversial pension reform plan was signed and promulgated Saturday in the Official Journal. Macron signed the bill after the Constitutional Council finished its review late Friday despite demands by trade unions to drop the measure that has drawn weeks of protests.

The nine "sages" as they are known in France partially approved the bill while rejecting six of its measures, including those regarding senior workers. The bill includes raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, requiring at least 43 years of work to be eligible for a full pension, with workers and trade unions among others vehemently opposing the plan.

The government unveiled the reform proposal in January and it was taken up for parliamentary debate the following month even as millions took to the streets to oppose it. Unrest intensified when Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, after consulting with Macron, decided to use special constitutional powers to adopt the bill without parliamentary approval in March. The decision was driven by fear that lawmakers would be able to block the reforms as the government lacks an absolute majority in the legislature.