President Macron has requested that a scheduled state visit to Germany be postponed due to the ongoing unrest in France, according to the spokesperson for German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

In a phone call with the president on Saturday, Macron reportedly asked to delay his trip, according to Steinmeier’s office.

According to his office, Steinmeier “regrets the cancellation and has the utmost understanding in light of the situation in our neighboring country.”

The German president’s office announced that the visit would be postponed as soon as possible.

On Sunday, Macron was scheduled to land, and on Monday and Tuesday, he was scheduled to travel to Dresden, Berlin, and Ludwigsburg.

The British King Charles III’s state visit to France in March was postponed as Macron dealt with opposition to his plan to raise the retirement age.

Read Also: Calls for Justice on French Streets Echo Across Europe

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Crowds in eastern France booed French President Emmanuel Macron as he left on his first trip to a French area since enacting his unpopular pensions reform, according to an AFP correspondent.

Locals in Selestat, in the Alsace region, yelled, “Macron resign!” when he was heckled by many persons there, including one who said he had a “corrupt government.”

Asked by a journalist how he felt, the president replied: “I have had it worse.”

Read Also: Protesters in France erupt in violence in response to Macron’s reform

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In the most violent demonstration against President Emmanuel Macron’s highly contentious pension reform in three months, protesters and French police officers clashed on Thursday.

According to the authorities, a day of protests turned chaotic in various places, notably Paris, where demonstrators set fires in the city’s historic center, injuring almost 150 police officers and leading to the arrest of dozens of protestors countrywide.

The controversy surrounding the reform’s enactment, which the government decided to execute without legislative approval, has grown into the biggest internal crisis of Macron’s second time in office.

Also, it poses a risk to King Charles III’s upcoming trip to France, which will be his first as the ruler of the United Kingdom. Tuesday, the second full day of his tour, has been designated by unions as the date for more strikes and protests.

The porch of the city hall was briefly set on fire in Bordeaux, a city in the southwest where King Charles is scheduled to arrive on Tuesday.

– Trash set flaming – Macron’s unwillingness to back down on the change in a TV interview on Wednesday gave the protests fresh life and increased their numbers in Paris and other cities compared to earlier protest days.

During a significant protest, police and protesters clashed once more in the capital’s streets. Security personnel used tear gas and charged crowds with batons.

Firefighters had to intervene after some demonstrators set fire to pallets and heaps of uncollected trash in the roadway.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that across France, 149 members of the security forces had been injured and at least 172 people arrested, including 72 in Paris.

Approximately 140 fires were started in Paris, according to Darmanin, who blamed “thugs” who had come to the city “to have a go at the cops and public buildings” for the violence.

The interior ministry reported that 1.089 million people participated in protests across France, making the turnout in Paris, at 119,000, the biggest in the capital since the movement began in January.

According to government statistics, the total number of participants still fell short of the 1.28 million who participated in the march on March 7.

According to unions, 3.5 million people protested nationwide, with 800,000 doing so in the nation’s capital.

Several hundred radical activists wearing black were shattering windows of banks, stores, and fast-food restaurants in Paris while also destroying street art, as seen by AFP journalists.

The local police chief of Lille, Thierry Courtecuisse, was only slightly hurt by a stone.

A video of a police officer in body armor and a helmet being struck on the head by a stone in Paris went viral. The officer was rendered unconscious and fell to the ground.

Due to strikes by refuse collectors, trash that had gathered in the streets became a target for demonstrators, who set fire to the garbage stacked in the city’s center.

Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne acknowledged the right to protest and voice one’s disapproval on Twitter, but she said that the violence and devastation seen today were unacceptable.

Unions once more urged nonviolent demonstrations. The moderate CFDT head Laurent Berger remarked, “We need to keep the public on our side to the finish.”

At the Paris Gare de Lyon railway station, protesters briefly occupied the tracks, and some of them blocked traffic to Charles de Gaulle airport.

As a result of a defiant On Wednesday, Macron stated that he was ready to endure criticism for the “essential” pension reform.

Even before that, a poll conducted on Sunday revealed that Macron’s approval rating was at its lowest point since the anti-government “Yellow Vest” protest movement in 2018–2019, at just 28%.

“Excessive force” –
Borne invoked a constitutional provision last week to enact the reform without a vote in parliament, following Macron’s orders. She was subject to two no-confidence votes in parliament, both of which she won—albeit one by a slim margin.

The latest nationwide protests against the pension changes were held on Thursday. They had been planned since mid-January.

As long as oil refinery blocks persist, the supply of kerosene to the nation’s capital and its airports is becoming “critical,” the ministry of energy transition said on Thursday.

Young people have been organizing their nightly rallies across France since the government enacted the measure last Thursday by using encrypted messaging networks.

Many police officers have been accused of using excessive force while making hundreds of arrests.

About “the widespread use of excessive force and arbitrary arrests reported in many media outlets,” Amnesty International has raised alarm.

King Charles is planned to arrive on Sunday and travel to Bordeaux on Tuesday, the new strike date.

According to Bordeaux’s mayor, Pierre Hurmic, the fire that destroyed the enormous wooden door at the city hall’s entry was extinguished after 15 minutes.

Red carpets won’t be laid out for the visit, French public sector unionists have warned, but non-striking workers are anticipated to do so.

Read Also: Israel announces a new investment in aquaculture in Morocco’s Sahara

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After the “yellow vest” protests in early 2019, according to an opinion survey, the popularity of French President Emmanuel Macron has declined to its lowest point. This is because of the mounting resistance to his efforts to raise the retirement age.

According to a study done for the daily “Le Journal du Dimanche” by the French Institute of Public Opinion (Ifop), 28% of those asked were “happy with Macron ‘s performance,” down 4 points from last month.

The prime minister’s approval rating, which had been stable at 29%, did not move.

Read Also: World Bank to provide $250 million to Morocco’s educational reform

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The French Council of Muslim Faith held its Extraordinary General Assembly in response to President Emmanuel Macron’s recent decision to dissolve the CFCM, according to a statement sent to the Editorial Board of Morocco Telegraph.

To adopt new statutes, the CFCM held its Extraordinary General Assembly in Bagnolet on February 19, 2023. The EGA was attended by more than 55% of its members, 73% of whom were chosen by local actors. A new AGE is required by the CFCM statutes in order to validate the new statutes. On March 12, 2023, it will be held.

The new statutes call for a reorganization of the CFCM based on departmental structures; all French mosques may participate equally. The success of recent departmental structures developed in pilot departments attests to the appropriateness of this decision.

They also call for an end to the so-called statutory federations’ system of cooptation, which currently affects 50% of the CFCM’s members. The main reason the CFCM has been blocked in recent years is because of this system, which has shown to be undemocratic and capricious.

With these two significant adjustments, the CFCM hopes to give local actors who have been duly elected by their peers a voice once more. The artificial borders and divisions that have severely impeded the CFCM in carrying out its missions will be eliminated by these actors, who share similar concerns.

The CFCM was founded in 2003 on the initiative of Mr. Jean-Pierre Chevènement, who was serving as the Interior and Religious Affairs Minister at the time. Mr. Nicolas Sarkozy, the former President of the Republic, provided the decisive impetus for the organization’s creation.

The CFCM currently represents over 1,100 mosques that took part in its 2020 election. This number is anticipated to rise significantly as a result of the new reform, which addresses the primary barriers to greater voter participation.

To adapt to new contexts, every representation of the cults in our nation had to change. This dynamic involves the Muslim cult. The CFCM plans to advance today, moving past the ups and downs and crisis it has encountered in recent years.

This organization is a priceless resource that must be upheld, enhanced, and strengthened because it made it possible to inscribe Islam in the fabric of French culture with undeniable accomplishments.

The main purpose of the CFCM is to defend the interests of the Muslim cult, to permit French Muslims to receive the spiritual guidance they desire, to aid in the growth of the Muslim cult in France, and to represent the Muslim cult in all public forums, events, and social discussions.

Without giving the CFCM a thorough evaluation, it should be noted that it has been able to support, through CRCMs, numerous projects of mosque construction, the appointment of chaplains in the army, hospitals, and prisons, to publish, in collaboration with the public authorities, several practical and circular guides for the slaughter according to the rites, the pilgrimage, and the organization of the burial spaces in the cemeteries, to combat extremist ideology.

The Conference of Religious Leaders in France (CRCF), an example of interreligious interaction that has made it possible to strengthen fraternity in our nation, was founded by the CFCM.

The CRPR Act of August 24, 2021, which was passed at the request of the CFCM, addressed the issue of funding worship by reporting buildings, even though the provision it adopted is still in need of improvement.

For the past two years, a national council of chaplains and imams has conducted a thorough analysis of the status and accreditation of imams.

A contract between the CFCM and the Ministry of the Interior also allows for improved statistical tracking of anti-Muslim incidents. The CFCM launched legal actions through the National Observatory to Fight Islamophobia.

The Covid19 pandemic outbreak made clear how crucial and necessary CFCM is. All observers agree that the CFCM has done an outstanding job of handling this dilemma through the numerous comments and recommendations it has provided. Thousands of meals were given out by mosques to the needy and nursing staff in response to the CFCM’s invitation. Volunteers were organized to visit the sick and grieving families. Since there was a lot of stress in the cemeteries, the CRCMs mobilized with the mayors to add more burial spaces.

It goes without saying that the CFCM needs to be held accountable for failing to live up to the aspirations of French Muslims and that criticism and inquiries about this need to be heard. Via the significant structural modifications they suggest, these new statutes specifically attempt to achieve this.

The Republic’s President, Mr. Emmanuel Macron, said on February 16, 2023, that he had decided to cease the CFCM’s participation in the State-Muslim cult discussion and replace it with a new framework.

The attendees of today’s Extraordinary General Assembly have taken note of this decision and reiterated their commitment to upholding the rights of the French Council members who serve as mosque administrators as well as the interests of the Muslim faith in general. They will employ all legal tools at their disposal to accomplish this, and they will assist all parties engaged in this effort.

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Algeria recalled its ambassador to Paris on Saturday for discussions, following French President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to cut visas and controversial remarks about Algerian politics and history.

This comes just three days after the French ambassador to Algiers was called to the foreign ministry to express his displeasure with Paris’ decision to cut down on the number of visas granted to Algerian citizens.

And the French newspaper “Le Monde” reported that Macron said, in his comment on the reduction of visas for Algerians: “I am not talking about Algerian society in its depths, but about the military-political system that was built on this rent linked to memory. Weakened by movement”

Macron added: “I personally had a good dialogue with President Tebboune, but I see that he is stuck in a very difficult regime.”

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A recent boycott on French Products resulted in the withdrawal of these products from supermarkets all over the Arab/Muslim world. This action was a retaliation against President Emmanuel Macron’s recent statements against Islam.

France suffered considerably a while ago from Moroccans’ boycott against some of its companies like “Centrale Laitière”. A similar unofficial social media campaign is ongoing these days against French companies not just in Morocco but all over the world.

On a recent statement, Macron said that the government was never behind those caricatures and that he understands Muslims’ feelings towards this issue. This recent statement contradicts what he said before regarding the French teacher’s death by his student.

Macron added that his statements were misunderstood and he also tried to clarify that what he said didn’t mean that he advocates those caricatures or whatever they represent.

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French President Emmanuel Macron accused on Sunday Hezbollah of sabotaging the constitution of a reformist government to encourage international assistance into the crisis-stricken country.

“They have decided to betray this commitment (forming a government),” Macron told reporters, declaring he was “ashamed” of the country’s leaders.

Lebanon’s premier-designate Mustapha Adib stepped down on Saturday, saying he had been unable to form a reform-minded government.

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