Overnight on Thursday, Paris, once again, erupted into violent demonstrations that left dozens injured on both sides while police ended up arresting 27 people. Much of the violence stems from anti- labor reform laws that the French politicians had been trying to put into place for some time. The government, however, blames the violence on terrorist activity in the wake of the bombings in Paris last November.
Government politicians are now demanding that these almost daily demonstrations by the youth of France be forcefully put down and somehow eliminated. The right to protest in France is, now, under serious fire. Across France, 214 people have been arrested and nearly 80 police officers have been seriously injured in the almost daily clashes of the past week. In the past couple of months, there has been 961 demonstration related arrests throughout the country.
Last might, about 150 young people had gathered in a Paris square when the police moved in. The youths began to violently engage the police and set several cars on fire. Large cement blocks and pieces of solid concrete were thrown at the police. Having objects hurled at the police seems standard procedure for a French riot. Often, the demonstrators wear masks to avoid identification and shops and homes are often vandalized and robbed.
The police and the French army has been working non-stop, almost around the clock, since last November’s bombings. The French government has put certain labor laws into affect that will allow businesses to hire and fire people with impunity and with no protection or due process for employees. This has sparked mass demonstrations and riots across the country. A declared state of emergency has had no affect on the citizenry with regard to violent demonstrations.
The government wants the police to hand out far fewer permits to protest because it feels that hard core gangs are causing much of the violence and undermining the effectiveness of the protests against the new labor laws. The government, of course, wants the violence stopped but has yet to forcefully impose curfew laws that are already in place because of the state of emergency.
Also, around 20% of the flights out of France’s international airports were canceled yesterday due to the violence and unrest.
PHOTO SOURCES: Reuters; The Associated Press