French pension reform sparks violent unrest and crisis of authority.

Protests against President Emmanuel Macron's pension reform have escalated into violent clashes with police across France, with more than 450 people arrested on Thursday alone. Macron's decision to bypass parliament and use special executive powers to push through the deeply unpopular reform has sparked outrage and accusations of a "crisis of authority". Heavy-handed police tactics have exacerbated the unrest, with Amnesty International, France's human rights ombudswoman, and the UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Association all expressing concern about police brutality and restrictions on the right to protest. The escalating arrests are a consequence of both a French tradition and the government's current predicament, said Sebastian Roché, a sociologist who has written extensively about policing methods in France and other European countries.