French President Emmanuel Macron was boycotted by protesters as he delivered a speech on the future of Europe in The Hague, accusing him of violence and hypocrisy, during a two-day visit to the Netherlands.

Protesters in the hall shouted "Where is French democracy?" and "The climate agreement is not being respected", holding a banner that read in English "President of violence and hypocrisy".

"There are millions of demonstrators in the streets," protesters chanted as the French government has faced massive protests since the start of the year over raising the retirement age from 62 to 64.

After a break of a minute, the French president was able to resume his speech, saying "it is important to have a social debate."

"I can answer all the questions about what we are discussing in France. This is democracy, and democracy is exactly a place where you can demonstrate" and see "this kind of intervention."

"The day you say to yourself 'when I disagree with the law that has been passed or with the people who have been elected, I can do whatever I want because I decide for myself the legitimacy of what I do,' you are jeopardizing democracy," Macron noted.

After completing his speech on European economic policy, the French president touched on the heart of his reform project.

"When I compare" with other European countries, the French should be "less angry with me," he said. Because the retirement age in your country is much higher, and in many countries in Europe it is more than 64."


Protests in France

French President Emmanuel Macron arrived on Tuesday in the Netherlands on a two-day official visit, where King Willem-Alexander and his wife Máxima received the French President and his wife Brigitte, amid a military ceremony at the Royal Palace in Amsterdam, before a reception and a private lunch.

The visit comes at a time when France is witnessing a widespread protest movement against pension reform, which led to the cancellation of a visit by Britain's King Charles III to Paris.

The crisis of the pension system will be present during this visit as it was during Macron's visit to China, at a time when France is preparing for a new day of mobilization next Thursday, on the eve of the issuance of a decisive opinion by the Constitutional Council on this text and the future of reform.

This is the first official visit by a French president to the Netherlands since 2000, and follows a visit by the Dutch king and his wife to France in 2016, and will cement the rapprochement between the two countries since Brexit, reshuffling alliances within the bloc.


Economic security

The Elysee Palace noted that the Netherlands lost with Brexit "a traditional ally on the European stage, which prompted it to diversify its cooperation."

For his part, Macron has strengthened France's ties with other capitals, foremost among them Rome and Madrid, outside the traditional Franco-German axis.

He also established a new relationship with Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, who, like him, is coming from the business world.

Anticipation is focused on Macron's positions, who has just returned from Beijing on questions of strategic autonomy, after asserting that Europeans should not "follow" the United States or China on the Taiwan issue, but rather embody a "third pole."

Macron is pushing for a massive investment plan in Europe's green industry in response to a similar plan launched by U.S. President Joe Biden.

On Sunday, he stressed in the French newspaper "Les Echos" that "we do not want to rely on others on critical topics," citing energy, artificial intelligence and social networks.