 "'Where is French democracy?': Protesters interrupt Macron's speech in Netherlands; WATCH")
Protesters interrupted French president Emmanuel Macron’s speech about Europe’s future. “Where is French democracy?” shouted the banner-waving demonstrators as Macron, who has faced violent protests at home over pensions reforms, addressed a student-dominated audience at a theatre in The Hague in the Netherlands on Tuesday. Macron’s remark on US-China tensions The first state visit to the Netherlands by a French president in 23 years has been clouded by a row over comments that Macron made about Taiwan, US and China. Macron had said that Europe should avoid “becoming a vassal in US-China conflict.” Macron is confronting the biggest challenge of his second term after pushing through his flagship pension overhaul, which includes raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. The demonstrators had stood in an upper tier of the theatre and shouted “You have millions of protesters in the streets” while holding up a banner that read “President of Violence and Hypocrisy”.
After security guards removed them, Macron said people who try to undermine laws passed by elected governments “put democracy at risk”, citing the 2021 US Capitol riots and a 2023 attack on the Brazilian Congress. The pomp and ceremony of the visit later continued regardless, with King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands hailing the 45-year-old French president at a state dinner in Amsterdam. “Reform is not simple,” the monarch said as he toasted his guest after a meal of asparagus soup with grey shrimp, followed by beef tournedos in a red wine sauce and a dessert made of traditional Dutch sweets. “For us, for Europe and the whole world, it is vital that France is strong, prosperous and confident.” Macron’s speech earlier made no mention of Taiwan, sticking instead to themes of Europe’s need to look after its own interests. “Being more sovereign” was “critical in this period of time where we have war and the economy is being weaponised,” particularly due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, said Macron. The Ukraine war had “opened probably one of the most perilous times of our European Union”, he added. Macron had sparked controversy in recent days after he said in an interview with media including Politico and French business daily Les Echos that Europe should not be “followers” of the United States and China over Taiwan. The interview by Macron, following a three-day state visit to Beijing last week, raised eyebrows on both sides of the Atlantic. Poland’s PM Mateusz Morawiecki said the alliance with the United States was an “absolute foundation” of European security. US Senator Marco Rubio said on Twitter that “we need to find out if Emmanuel Macron speaks for Europe”. The Elysee Palace insisted Tuesday that the president had never called for Europe to keep an “equidistance” from the United States and China. Macron’s Dutch visit continues on Wednesday with a trip to the sold-out exhibition of painter Johannes Vermeer’s works at the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and talks with Prime Minister Mark Rutte on a canal boat. He will also view a science park and sign a “pact for innovation” focusing on cooperation in semiconductors, quantum physics and energy. Macron’s visit is meant to highlight a new dynamic between Paris and The Hague after Brexit, when the Netherlands lost its strongest ally in Europe. They will also work to finalise a defence pact by 2024. With inputs from AFP Read all the Latest News , Trending News , Cricket News , Bollywood News , India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook , Twitter and Instagram .