France protesters use Macron effigy to block railway tracks in Nice

French pension reform protesters staged a blockade of a train station in Nice, France on Wednesday.

The protesters in the southern French city laid a mascot of French President Emmanuel Macron on rail tracks to block train traffic. Some stood on the tracks and chanted banners, while others stood outside the station singing: "We're here, even if Macron doesn't want it."

In a rare television interview on Wednesday, Macron said the deeply unpopular new law that raises the retirement age was necessary and would enter into force by the end of the year.

"Do you think I enjoy doing this reform? No. Do you think I could have done the same as many others before me and sweep the dust under the rug? Yes, maybe," Macron said, adding that "There aren't a hundred solutions if we want the pensions system to be balanced — it no longer is. And the more we wait, the more it will get worse. And so this reform is necessary."