British king's visit to France postponed over pension reform unrest

A planned visit to France next week by Britain's King Charles III has been postponed due to unrest in the wake of a decision to increase the pension age, the Élysée palace said Friday.

A new date has not been named for the state visit, which would be his first as king.

Hundreds of people have been arrested in protests across France.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin told broadcaster CNews on Friday morning that some 457 had been arrested, while about 440 members of the security forces had been injured.

French trade unions have called for new nationwide strikes and protests on Tuesday.

Strikes and protests had been mostly peaceful for weeks, but recent days saw increasing violence during spontaneous demonstrations.

The protests are directed against the gradual increase of the retirement age from 62 to 64, and more generally against the actions of the centre-right government of President Emmanuel Macron.

There have been repeated protests against the government's plans, which aim to close a looming gap in the pension fund with the reform.