French first lady’s relative assaulted after Macron commits to retirement age increase

PARIS (AP) — France’s first lady  has issued a rare statement condemning a physical attack on her great-nephew that took place on the sidelines of a demonstration against her husband’s pledge to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64 contested pension reform. Police said eight people were arrested in the northern French city Amiens in connection with the Monday night assault on 30-year-old Jean-Baptiste Trogneux, who runs a family chocolate shop. Trogneux’s father says the assailants insulted “the president, his wife and our family” before making an escape. First lady Brigitte Macron on Tuesday called out the assault’s “cowardice, stupidity and violence.”