President Macron seen taking off luxury watch as he defends pension reforms amid violent protests
25 March 2023, 07:56
French President Emmanuel Macron has been labelled 'out of touch' after he was seen removing a luxury watch during a defence of his pension reforms.
Violent protests have taken place across France this week after Mr Macron forced through a change in the retirement age from 62 to 64.
The president was initially seen wearing his watch during an interview about the reforms, but he soon put his hands under the table after a loud noise.
When his hands reemerged from beneath the table, his watch had been taken off.
Mr Macron's team say he decided to take off the watch as it was "clinking on the table".
Some claimed the watch is worth around €80,000 (£70,000), but the Élysée Palace said this was not correct.
They claimed he was wearing a personalised Bell & Ross BR V1-92 model, worth up to £3000 online.
Read More: Bordeaux town hall set on fire as violent protests spread across France ahead of King Charles visit
Though Mr Macron's team insist the watch removal was innocent, opposition parties have taken the opportunity to criticise the French President of being out of touch.
Opposition MP Farida Amrani said "the president of the rich as never worn his name so well" after the removal removal came to light.
It comes amid rising tensions in France after Mr Macron's pensions reforms, which led to King Charles' state visit to the country being cancelled.
He said the monarch's visit, which had been due to begin on Sunday, "would have prompted incidents" which would have been "detestable".
"We would not be serious… to make a state visit in the middle of protests," Mr Macron said.
Macron says ‘common sense’ meant delaying King Charles’s visit
Meanwhile, Bordeaux's town hall was set on fire in French protests on Thursday night as more than one million protestors took to the streets.
There were more violent clashes between protestors and police, with tear gas thrown in capital and 80 people arrested across France.
