French Protesters Clash with Police over Labor Reforms
Local Editor
Clashes broke out on the streets of France on Thursday during fresh protests over labor reforms, just a day after beleaguered President Francois Hollande was forced into an embarrassing U-turn over constitutional changes.
A nationwide strike shut the Eiffel Tower, disrupted train services and saw dozens of schools closed or barricaded by students.
Riot police used tear gas against stone-throwing protesters in the western cities of Nantes and Rennes, among 200 demonstrations drawing tens of thousands people nationwide despite rainy weather.
Police said around 10 youths were arrested in Paris, where demonstrators threw firecrackers and yellow paint at security forces.
Adding to Hollande's miserable week, a separate strike by air traffic controllers threatened headaches for thousands of passengers, while drivers faced more than 400 kilometers of tailbacks on motorways around Paris.
The Socialist government is desperate to push through reforms to France's controversial labor laws, billed as a last-gasp attempt to boost the flailing economy before next year's presidential election.
But it has faced a wave of often violent protests by unions and students angry over plans to make it easier for struggling companies to fire workers, even though the reforms have already been diluted once in a bid to placate employers.
Hollande's government was still reeling from his decision Wednesday to abandon constitutional changes that would have allowed dual nationals convicted of terrorism to be stripped of their French citizenship.
The measure had been derided as ineffective and divisive, including by left-wing rebels within the Socialist party - many of whom also oppose the labor reforms.
Already the least popular president in France's modern history, Hollande's numbers continue to fall, with a new poll Thursday showing his approval rating at a new low of 15 percent.
Another poll on Wednesday showed he would not even make the second-round run-off in the presidential election.
Pressure from the street and parliament's back benches caused the government to water down the proposals two weeks ago so that they apply only to large firms.
Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team
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