Posted on 03/28/2006 7:54:52 AM PST by quantim
PARIS (Reuters) - Hundreds of thousands of French transport workers, teachers and other employees staged a one-day national strike or marched through the streets on Tuesday to try to force the government to abandon a new youth job law.
The Eiffel Tower was closed to visitors until the evening, commuters faced delays on trains and Paris underground rail services and airports were hit by stoppages in protest against Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin's CPE First Job Contract.
Villepin, 52, stood firm over the plan but the strong turnout increased pressure on him to amend or withdraw the measure and calls for his resignation are growing.
"We're demanding the complete withdrawal of the CPE. You can't treat people like slaves. Giving all the power to the bosses is going too far," said Gregoire de Oliviera, a 21-year-old student in Paris.
Villepin hopes the CPE will reduce youth unemployment from almost 23 percent, but union and student leaders say it will create a generation of "throwaway workers" because it makes it easier to dismiss employees under 26 in a trial two-year period.
Tens of thousands of people rallied in Paris and organisers said 250,000 people took to the streets in Marseille, where banners read "We will not give up" and protesters daubed "Anti-CPE" on their faces.
In Grenoble, in the east, up to 60,000 people protested and 40,000 people protested in Pau in the southwest, unions said.
There were reports of isolated skirmishes but not on the same scale as violence that marred protests last week.
Villepin, a potential candidate in next year's presidential election, faces his biggest challenge since becoming prime minister last May.
Business leaders fear France's image will be damaged if protests continue and that investment and tourism could suffer, particularly because the crisis has erupted so soon after rioting by angry youths in French city suburbs late last year.
VILLEPIN APPEALS TO UNIONS
Unions refused to meet Villepin for talks on Wednesday but he renewed the invitation, telling parliament he was ready to compromise on two points -- the length of the trial period and the terms for giving notice.
"Useful time remains, let's use it for dialogue. But there is one thing that I will not accept ... that is to remain with my arms folded given youth unemployment about which you have never spoken before," he told jeering opposition deputies.
Villepin, a former foreign minister, also faces pressure from inside the ruling conservative Union for a Popular Movement (UMP) headed by Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, a likely rival for the 2007 presidential race.
The UMP parliamentary group on Tuesday backed Sarkozy's proposal that the government not rush to enforce the law and so leave the door open for further negotiations.
President Jacques Chirac, who has backed Villepin during the crisis, cancelled a trip to northern France planned for Thursday because of the situation, sources close to the president said.
Opinion polls show almost two-thirds of French people oppose the CPE. Even so, commuters were frustrated by the strike which caused delays on many rail lines.
"Why do you have to make all French suffer," French traveller Patricia said at Charles de Gaulle airport, where several flights were cancelled. "Fine that you're against the CPE. But why block the whole country, rather than talk?"
Mass street demonstrations are closely watched in France after protests over pensions reforms in 1995 which were widely credited with losing the conservatives the snap election called two years later -- in part on Villepin's advice.
Fears of a broader revolt have been fuelled by the incidents in Paris last week including looting, clashes with riot police and the mugging of student demonstrators by hardcore elements.
*rimshot*
We'll know they have hit bottom when they start throwing the cheeses. Is nothing sacred?
Actually, in France they have a habit of just letting their elderly die from the heat.
Grandpa died in the heat wave.
PhotoID: 200332611034
Submitted by: MCB Camp Butler
Caption:
All we want is the cheese! Just give us the cheese! An angry crowd riots for cheese during a simulated exercise. A detachment of Marines from Marine Wing Support Squadron-172, who have been chosen as the security detachment for a potential deployment, practiced simulated riots recently.
Photo by: Lance Cpl. Shawn J. Vincent
Good to know our marines are trained for just such a thing!
Wether illegal insurgents or legal insurgents they are insurgents... insurging.. With not a wit of consern over the betterment of the country.. Anarchy with a mask..
Exactly like here in the U.S... Anarchy is not far away.. there OR here..
And the White House is promoteing it.. not asleep but activily promoteing it.. Kowtow'ing to the Balkanizers..
Activly, with malice aforethought, on purpose promoteing the situation that WILL provide anarchy.. Polarizing illegal and legal latinos against all others.. Its not cute..
What do you think?
Thanks for the link, Peach.
What do you think? Co myslicie, komus walnelo no nie?
"ABC Radio said they want "jobs for life" instead of "job security"."
Wrong translation, ABC/DNC, they want paychecks for life, not jobs!
The campus thing has not happened......... YET...
The "progressives" are on the move.. envigorating the democrat party..
Multi-millions of proto type democrats are in the wings(from many countrys)..
And the democrats are USEING the republican party to DO IT..
Brilliant really.. Any that say the democrat party is dieing are in denial.. Bush is single handily rebuilding the democrat party.. And, with few with the guts to posit that fact.. legal ID are easily obtained in "street".. Any that say these illegals are not voting or will not vote are whistling past the cemetary..
I'm glad SOMEbody drank it first. Maybe he just found the bottle lying around (he certainly doesn't deserve such a good wine, rioting in the streets like that.)
For a brief, shining moment, I thought perhaps the headline said "Hundreds of thousands protest France".
Guess they don't like the downside of socialism very much.
Never fails to crack me up. Merci!
Is it typical for poor people to wear leather jackets?
Thanks, got it bookmarked. Truly awesome job by jveritas.
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