France's political crisis grows as 3 million take to streets

The Guardian ^ | 6 April 2006 | Angelique Chrisafis

[Aussie Dasher]

Police fought running battles with rioters in central Paris last night as youths attacked officers with bangers, bottles and concrete at the end of a mass demonstration against a youth employment law that has caused a political crisis for Jacques Chirac's ruling party.

Trade unionists and student leaders said up to three million people took to the streets across France yesterday - the second time in eight days that the country has seen its biggest street demonstrations in almost 40 years. The protests, including one by hundreds of thousands of students and scholars who marched through central Paris, were mainly peaceful.

They were marked by a carnival atmosphere somewhere between a victory parade for the demonstrators and a funeral march for the "first employment law" as the ruling party prepared to begin negotiating its way out of the crisis.

Police fired teargas in Paris's Place d'Italie last night after groups of students and youths, some from the suburbs, attacked police lines.

[Doc Savage]

I thought they "Mashed" them with "Bangers"!

[bert]

.....The French are revolting.....

Strictly speaking, the government is revolting by proposing change. The French populationshas gone to the streets to prevent the revolutionary change.

[robowombat]

I really wonder of Mr. Esse wasn't pulling the correspondents leg. His remarks sound like a Monty Python script. The sheer absurdity of what he is saying sounds like satire. If it's not people are even crazier than I thought. But then Us schools are now banning camouflage pants less they offend illegal immigrants as such items are a symbol of (shudder) 'patriotism'.

[xarmydog]

I can just imagine.I leave a French restaurant,overpriced,the service is lousy,and full of frog legs,caviar.and snails with a fancy name.I walk out into a throng of 3 million.and then it hits you.You get the sudden urge to use the bathroom.[not #1 but #2]What would you do?But,like you said,when in Rome,etc.Yec!

[MinorityRepublican]

The only alternative is to buy Depends.

[xarmydog]

Great thought!But it would 'depend'on what brand to use.I would go for the french ones as they start at an earlier age,therefore,they have the design down pat!

[ZULU]

The French just can't address their minority problems.

Gloat, gloat.

[upcountryhorseman]

See what happens when you try to "compromise". there's a
lesson for us here with reference to dealing with illegal
border crossers.

[taxed2death]

"France has nuclear weapons. Forget about what happened to the ones missing in the Ukraine. Start worrying about what will happen to the ones left in France when the Muslims take over!"

Didn't the propeller fall off of their sole aircraft carrier or something like that...last year. If that's any clue as to how their nukes work...it's all the better.

Their self immolation will be something I wouldn't want to miss.