Paris - French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday defiantly vowed to push through a controversial pensions reform, saying he was prepared to accept unpopularity in the face of sometimes violent protests.
Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne, acting on the president's instructions,invoked an article in the constitution that adopted the contentious reform without a parliamentary vote last Thursday.
The government on Monday narrowly survived a no-confidence motion but the uproar has spawned the biggest domestic crisis of the second term for Macron, first elected in 2017 with pledges to radically reform France.
Another day of national strikes and protests against the pension changes, in particular pushing back the minimum retirement age from 62 to 64, is planned for Thursday.
In Paris, garbage continues to pile up in the streets due to stoppages by municipal rubbish collectors who have vowed to continue a rolling strike until Monday.
The tensions have also raised questions over whether France can host the UK's King Charles III when he arrives on Sunday for his first foreign state visit as monarch.
While France's Constitutional Court still needs to give its last word on the reform, Macron told the TF1 and France 2 channels in an interview that the changes needed to "come into force by the end of the year".
"The longer we wait, the more it (the deficit) will deteriorate. This reform is necessary, it does not make me happy. I would have preferred not to do it," he added in his first public comments after days of silence on the crisis.
Macron, who is barred by the constitution from seeking a third consecutive term, said he was prepared to "accept unpopularity" over the reform.
"Given a choice between opinion polls in the short term and the general interest of the country, I choose the general interest of the country," Macron said.
A survey on Sunday showed Macron's personal approval rating at just 28%, its lowest level since the height of the anti-government "Yellow Vest" protest movement in 2018-2019.
Philippe Martinez, head of the hard-line CGT union, said that Macron's comments showed "disdain for the thousands of people who have been protesting".
Socialist Party chief Olivier Faure added: "It's amazing, he is in absolute denial. I'm afraid he just put more fuel onto an already well lit fire."
Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right in parliament, said Macron had merely "reinforced the feeling of contempt" felt by the French.
New clashes broke out between protesters and security forces in Paris late on Tuesday, in a repeat of scenes over the last days that have seen hundreds arrested and accusations of heavy-handed tactics by police.
Forty-six people were arrested overnight in the latest clashes around Place de la Republique, while police used tear gas to disperse protests in other cities including Rennes and Nantes.
Blockades at oil refineries continue, potentially creating severe fuel shortages.
Macron spent most of the previous day talking to ministers, advisers and other political heavyweights about the way forward, ruling out snap elections or a referendum.
But in a warning to protesters, he told the meeting: "The crowd, whatever form it takes, has no legitimacy in the face of the people who express themselves through their elected representatives" in parliament.
Asked in the interview to explain this remark, which was denounced by the opposition, he said while organised protests were "legitimate", violence should be condemned and blockages not impede normal activity.
Referring to the insurrections by supporters of the ex-US and Brazilian presidents Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro after election defeats, he added: "We cannot accept rebels or factions."
Borne invoked article 49.3 after failing to muster a parliamentary majority for the reform in the lower-house National Assembly, a consequence of Macron's ruling party losing its overall majority in the 2022 legislative elections.
Brushing off calls for her to go, Macron said in the interview that Borne retained his confidence but should now create a programme that "changes things for our compatriots in a more tangible way".
'Excessive force'?
Lawyers, magistrates and some politicians accused police of making arbitrary arrests in an attempt to stifle the protests, although this has been rejected by Paris police.
Amnesty International expressed alarm "about the widespread use of excessive force and arbitrary arrests reported in several media outlets" in how police deal with the protests.
Prominent Green MP Sandrine Rousseau said the visit by King Charles should be cancelled.
It was "unbelievable" that the president would dine with the monarch at the Versailles Palace outside Paris "while the people are protesting in the streets", she told BFM television.
AFP