Sawt Falasteen - Pan-bashing protesters to greet Macron as he hits the road

Macron is due in Muttersholtz in the Alsace region later in the day, one of several trips to rural France this week that signal his desire to turn the page on his unpopular pensions reforms.

But his political opponents and trade unions have urged protesters to maintain their three-month campaign against the law that will hike the retirement age to 64 from 62.

Pot-bashing began during Macron's address to the nation on Monday evening, a form of protest with a long history in France and many South American countries.

Around a hundred people from the CGT and CFDT unions gathered in front of the mayor's office in Muttersholtz on Wednesday, using frying pans and pan lids as well as whistles and horns to make noise.

After several requests from police to move back from the area, where local authorities have banned demonstrations, officers used force to push them 200 metres (650 feet) away.

On Tuesday evening, a private trip by Macron to Saint-Denis, northeast of Paris, also saw around 300 demonstrators voice their anger at his pension changes, which were signed into law last week.

"People will make themselves heard but that's part of the moment," an aide to the president told reporters on Wednesday, adding that there would "expressions of anger most probably, support perhaps."

The scenes recall Macron's visits around France during the so-called "Yellow Vest" protests of 2018-2019 when the 45-year-old head of state was frequently confronted by angry hecklers or protesters.

He was slapped in the face in 2021 by a 28-year-old unemployed mediaeval history enthusiast during a visit to a small town in southeastern France.

After Wednesday's visit to a construction company in Muttersholtz, Macron is set to visit a school in the southern Herault region on Thursday.

N.AbuHussein--SF-PST