PARIS, March 31, (APP/AFP): Clashes broke out on the streets of
France on Thursday during fresh protests over labour 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 kilometres (250 miles) of tailbacks on motorways around
Paris.
The Socialist government is desperate to push through reforms to
France’s controversial labour 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.