In a televised speech Monday night, French President Emmanuel Macron said he had “heard people’s anger†over the recently passed government measure to increase the retirement age from 62 to 64. The measure has sparked multiple days of nation-wide protests in the country causing life to come to a standstill as many basic services such as transportation and garbage collection grind to a halt. During his speech, Macron announced “100 days of appeasement, unity, ambition and action for France†leading up to “Bastille Day†on July 14, France’s national holiday. Many French responded by gathering outside town halls, banging pots and pans while shouting, “Macron won’t listen to us? We won’t listen to him!†Éric Fassin, a professor of sociology at Paris 8 University said of Macron’s speech, “Macron says he hears the anger – but he is deaf to what it says.â€
