Free climber Alain Robert, also known as “French Spiderman,” scaled a 38-story skyscraper in Paris on Wednesday in protest against President Emmanuel Macron’s controversial pensions reform.
“I’m here to tell Emmanuel Macron to come back down to earth … by climbing with no safety net,” the 60-year-old told reporters before starting to ascend the 150-meter skyscraper in Paris’ La Defense business district using only his bare hands and a pair of climbing shoes.
Robert, who has climbed more than 150 towering structures, including the Eiffel Tower and Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, said he wanted to “show support for those who oppose the pension reform,” with his stunt, adding that the controversial legislation means he has to continue to work and climb for longer.
On Saturday, Macron signed the deeply unpopular pensions reform bill, after France’s Constitutional Council ruled in favor of the most contentious part, which raises the legal age of retirement to 64 from 62.
