Told you so....(*)
Paris braced for more riots over employment protests
By John Lichfield in Paris
Published: 28 March 2006
Paris is bracing itself for a day of violence as gangs from the city's poor suburbs threaten to disrupt another day of action against a new employment law.
Extra security measures are being taken, by the police and trade unions, to prevent the student and union march through the capital from exploding into the violence and robbery that accompanied last Thursday's protests.
The Metro, trains, buses, planes and schools are likely to be thrown into confusion by today's one-day strike called by France's five trade union federations. Despite pressure from many of his own supporters on the centre right, the Prime Minister, Dominique de Villepin, is refusing to alter the main lines of the First Job Contract, known as the CPE, that he says is crucial to cutting youth unemployment. It allows employers to dismiss without reason those taken on under the scheme during a two-year period.
Up to 100,000 protesters are expected to march across eastern Paris from the Place d'Italie to the Place de la République this afternoon. There are fears that the march may be invaded, once again, by gangs from the troubled suburbs who were mostly responsible for last autumn's riots which lasted five weeks.
Last Thursday a student march through the Left Bank district was disrupted by an estimated 2,000 people. They burned cars, viciously beat and robbed student demonstrators - including many young women - and attacked journalists and police.
Although nominally demonstrating against the First Job Contract, the youths made it clear that they had mostly come into Paris to confront the police and to rob "rich" students.
Student leaders and left-wing politicians later suggested that the government had ordered police to permit the disruption. The government pointed out that the organisers had themselves asked the police to remain at arm's length.
The interior ministry offered to police tomorrow's march more closely and to send snatch squads into the march if necessary. The offer has been rejected by trade unions, who say that they have beefed up their own security teams.
news.independent.co.uk
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