Protesters run at Macron during state visit to Netherlands

French President's state visit disrupted on successive days over his controversial pension reforms

A protester is pinned to the ground by guards after he ran towards French President Emmanuel Macron outside the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands on Wednesday. AP

French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to the Netherlands was disrupted after pension reform protesters ran towards him and triggered a security alert.

Pictures showed one man being pinned to the ground by guards outside the University of Amsterdam's science campus on Wednesday.

Mr Macron had stepped out of a limousine with Dutch King Willem-Alexander and was being greeted by Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema when the demonstrators ran towards him.

"We arrested two protesters for running towards the president. For disturbing public order and threatening," an Amsterdam police representative said.

"It was a man and a woman, protesters. One of them had a banner."

There was a separate small group of demonstrators but it was not clear if they were linked to the arrested protesters.

It was the second day in a row Mr Macron's state visit to the Netherlands had been disrupted by protests, after weeks of demonstrations at home against an unpopular pension law.

The man chanted a song popular in protests against the pension reform, that says: "We are here, we are here, even if Macron doesn't want it we are here."

Anger against the pension bill, which will delay retirement by two years to 64 and was pushed through parliament by the government without a vote.

Back at home, French unions plan another nationwide day of protests on Thursday against the pension law. Opinion polls show a majority of voters oppose the reform and back the protests.

The Constitutional Council is due to say on Friday if the law, and how it was adopted, respect the constitution or whether the opposition can start to try to collect enough signatures to organise a referendum against it.

If the council gives its green light, the new policy can be officially published and become law. Macron has said he wants it to enter into force by the end of the year