France commemorates end of World War II

By Nur Asena Erturk

ANKARA (AA) - France on Monday commemorated the end of World War II.

French President Emmanuel Macron's convoy entered the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris under broad security measures to keep possible protesters away, French broadcaster BFMTV said.

He attended the ceremony held at the Arc de Triomphe Monument, where he laid a wreath of flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and observed a minute of silence.

Protests were strictly prohibited around the Champs-Elysees amid popular outrage against the newly-promulgated pension reform, the daily Le Figaro reported.

Macron will visit the city of Lyon to attend another ceremony in the afternoon.

Jean Moulin, one of the symbolic figures of the French Resistance during the war, will be commemorated.

Local authorities took measures to prevent demonstrations in that area, the daily added.

- Pension reform law

Macron is facing protests at all his visits since he promulgated the pension reform law on April 14, after the Constitutional Council completed its review, despite demands from trade unions to drop the measure that has triggered weeks of protests.

The law will raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 by 2030, requiring at least 43 years of work to be eligible for a full pension, and is set to go into effect on Sept. 1.