Fresh protests planned in France

[fedsron2us]

Opponents of a new French labour law are calling for a million people to demonstrate against the controversial legislation on Saturday.

At least 300 people were arrested on Thursday after mass rallies ended in violence in Paris and other cities.

French President Jacques Chirac has called for immediate talks between ministers and trade union leaders.

<snip>

The BBC's Caroline Wyatt in Paris says the street protests are fast turning into the biggest headache French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has had to face.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4819052.stm

I am slightly surprised this is not getting more coverage. We could be witnessing the politicisation of an entire generation in France.

edit for link

[spindrifter]

1. It's interesting, because the objective (supposedly)

was to make more jobs available to French young people. Unfortunately, the law means people can get sacked easier, just churning the number of people through the jobs. Sounds in some ways like a different twist on our system where employment at will leaves people's livelihood at the whim of the employer.

[brmdp3123]

2. Another typical French misstep regarding labor law.

When things are crappy, they try to make it crappy for everybody. When they legistalted the 35 hour work week, it was supposed to make employers hire more people to cover the reduced hours of current employees. Instead it just encouraged the employers to move other countries.

[bemildred]

4. And yet the French people seem anxious to keep it that way.

Perhaps they are not concerned about the departure of exploitive employers and the social costs they inflict on everyone.

[lostexpectation]

3. this is how they do it in france

They step down into the tracks

.html

[NYdemocrat089]

5. This was just breaking news on CNN. There was black smoke in the back-

-ground and protesters were yelling at the CNN reporter. They also moved the camera around. Students were climbing on the fountains in the video CNN played.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11875417/
"French unions and students mass for protests
Government pressured to nix law that some fear will make jobs vulnerable"

[maddezmom]

6. CNNI carrying it live at this time, too

things are escalating

[maddezmom]

7. uodated link: PARIS - Tens of thousands of students and workers marched

PARIS - Tens of thousands of students and workers marched in Paris and other French cities Saturday in the biggest show of anger yet at a jobs plan that has sparked violence and threatened to weaken the government.

Youths set a car ablaze, broke a shop window and hurled stones, golf balls and other objects at police at the end of the Paris protest against a plan for a new type of job contract to increase employment among less privileged youths by making the labor market more flexible.

Riot police wielding shields and batons rushed the crowds and fired tear gas in an effort to clear the streets of Paris.

Officials provided no immediate estimate of the number of protesters in Paris, the biggest known march, but two unions claimed 400,000 people participated.

more:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/france_job_protests;_

[LiberalHeart]

8. Here's a report that says a half million....

http://wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=4650429