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Huge numbers of people have taken part in demonstrations across France over legislation to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64.

King Charles III's state visit to France has been postponed after a request by President Emmanuel Macron.

The French president said "we would not be serious and would lack common sense" to go ahead after unions called a day of pension protests during the visit.

The trip to Paris and Bordeaux had been due to begin on Sunday. But both cities were caught up in violence on Thursday, some of the worst since demonstrations began in January.

So why do French people feel so strongly about the proposed measures? Newshour's Rebecca Kesby has been speaking to Sophie Pedder, the Paris Bureau Chief of The Economist, and the author of Revolution Française: Emmanuel Macron and the Quest to Reinvent a Nation.

Photo shows: A Protester kicks a tear gas bomb during clashes with anti-riot police, during a protest against government pension reform in Paris, France, 23 March 2023. Credit: EPA

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