Mass protests in France, strikes across Europe: consequences of political failure

In France hundreds of thousands of people have been on the streets again in a direct challenge to the plans by president Emmauel Macron to make people work longer for their pensions. Demonstrations took place in cities across the country with the unions claiming more than four hundred and fifty thousand taking part in Paris alone. Authorities put that figure lower, but also put a record thirteen thousand police on duty. It's been two weeks since the president used a controversial constitutional power to bypass parliament and move on with steps to raising the retirment age from 62 to 64.