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Clashes at Paris demo, more than 200 arrested
AFP
PARIS
Petroleumworld.com 03 29 06Police arrested nearly 500 trouble-makers during disturbances on the fringes of a huge demonstration in Paris against a new youth jobs law on Tuesday, and around 200 others during similar protests around the country.
Around 50 people were injured, including five police officers, during the violence in Paris, which continued into the evening at the Place de la Republique after the protest march had ended there.
One of some 4,000 officers deployed in anticipation of the violence was taken to hospital in a serious condition after being hit in the face by a "missile," police said.
As thousands of demonstrators ended their peaceful protest at the Place de la Republique, hundreds of youths began bombarding riot police with empty beer cans.
Police said around 1,500 trouble-makers and 300 anarchist militants had latched onto the protest march organised by student and trades unions.
The first signs of trouble began before the main protest march had even made it to the square, when police used sticks to repel a group of hooded and masked demonstrators.
Shortly after 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) police fired water cannons to disperse the protesters.
Earlier police and union marshals intervened after a gang of youths stole mobile telephones and cameras from people taking part in the protest.
Masked youths smashed the windows of a cafe and tried to mug people near the starting point of the march at Place d'Italie, in the south of the city in a repeat of violence at demonstrations in central Paris last Thursday.
Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, a presidential hopeful who has contested the employment law introduced by his rival Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, went to the Palce de la Republic to show support to riot police.
He was met with shouts of "Sarkozy resign!" and "Sarkozy, fuck your mother!" from groups of youths.
Sarkozy, who riled rioters with his aggressive stance during violence in November 2005 in high-immigrant Paris suburbs plagued by unemployment, urged police to arrest as many trouble-makers as possible.
At least one million people, by police estimate, participated in marches nationwide against the labour law, which was created to encourage companies to hire workers aged under 26 but also makes it easier to fire them.
A French union leader said three million people had joined in the protests.
There were also violent scenes in several other French cities.
In the southern city of Toulouse, youths threw missiles including empty beer bottles at police, who used tear gas to clear the city's main square and arrested nine people.
In Rennes, in the west, youths smashed shop windows and invaded the station, stopping train traffic for around two hours. Rioters and protesters opposed to the violence also started fighting each other. Police later arrested 11 people.
Meanwhile in the northern city of Lille, police arrested a dozen youths after battling crowds of rioters with tear gas.
AFP 28 03 06 2203 GMTCopyright © 1994-2006 Agence France-Presse. All Rights Reserved.
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