France bangs pots and pans in fresh anti-pension protest

By THOMAS ADAMSON
Associated Press

PARIS (AP) — A country renowned for its cuisine is turning to pots and pans to express its discontent with French President Emmanuel Macron’s pension reforms. Demonstrations against raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 have morphed from lobbing paving stones, dodging tear gas and brandishing banners to something nearer the soul of the gastronomic nation: Making noise by banging kitchen saucepans. This very Gallic culinary cacophony – called the “casserolade” — began last week in front of hundreds of locations mainly around town halls during a televised speech by Macron. The pan beating is taking place across France once more Monday evening at 8pm, organized by an anti-capitalist activist group.