The protesters' sign reads: 'Macron, rioter of the century' (Image:
The protesters' sign reads: 'Macron, rioter of the century' (Image: AAP/Reuters/Sarah Meyssonnier)

The great French tradition of forcing kings into hasty retreat is alive and well, with Charles III cancelling a state visit this week because of mass demonstrations over President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform.

The king’s jaunt would have taken in the palace of Versailles –a pit stop with perhaps too much historic resonance at a time when the streets are ablaze and the revolutionary barricades of centuries past are today made of piles of rubbish. The striking workers who would usually provide the assorted finery that accompanies a state visit had literally refused to roll out the red carpet for King Charles, declining to provide any flags or furnishings.

The pension reform of contention is the raising of the official retirement age from 62 to 64, but it is largely about making people pay into the pension system longer.