Protesters in France storm Euronext Paris building amid anger over pension law

A group of protesters in France have stormed the building of stock market operator Euronext in Paris over French President Emmanuel Macron's widely unpopular pension reform plan, days after he signed the controversial bill into law.

Hundreds of protesters on Thursday stormed the entrance hall of stock exchange operator Euronext NV’s offices in the La Defense business district outside Paris and set off red flares inside the building before being evacuated by French police.

They say large companies like Euronext, which runs stock markets across Europe, must finance pensions.

"We are told that there is no money to finance pensions," but there is "no need to get the money from the pockets of workers, there is some in the pockets of billionaires," said Sud-Rail unionist Fabien Villedieu.

In a statement issued following the incident, Euronext said that despite the brief turbulence, markets faced no disruption.

The controversial bill aimed at raising the retirement age from 62 to 64 has sparked numerous violent protest rallies and strikes across the country for the past several months. Macron, however, eventually signed it into law on Saturday.

Waving union flags, the storming group on Thursday chanted words popular with pension protesters, "We are here, we are here, even if Macron does not want it we are here."

They also shouted: "Macron resign!"

The nationwide protest movement and a populist rebuke of France’s establishment created a persisting standoff between protesters and the police forces, with reports of police brutality.

Protests linger even after the contested plan was enacted, and political opponents and trade unions have urged protesters to maintain their campaign against the pension reform law and called for a new day of mass protest on May 1.

"We'll continue until the (pension law's) withdrawal," protesters shouted in La Defense's central square, standing by a banner that read: "No to the pension reform".

The French president, whose approval ratings are near their lowest levels on record, has been facing the biggest domestic challenge of his second term over the overhaul.

SS