French police evacuate Macron from theatre amid protest

By Yusuf Ozcan

PARIS (AA) - A group of anti-government protestors tried to enter a Paris theater while French President Emmanuel Macron was inside, according to media reports Friday.

Reports said dozens of protesters gathered in front of the theater after accounts shared on social media indicated Macron was in the venue.

Protesters chanted slogans against Macron and tried to enter the venue but the president was evacuated by security forces.

France saw a strike that began Dec. 5 in protest of the government's planned overhaul of the nationwide pension system.

Macron is steadfast in his position that the 42 different plans currently in place need be consolidated into one.

Payouts in the new plan would be calculated from salaries from across a worker's career instead of only the last five years. The result, unions say, would be significantly reduced payouts for workers.

Macron's plan would also phase out early retirement advantages of certain sectors, primarily the civil service, by adjusting various "hardship" criteria.