French students renew protests as labour reform heads to parliament

FRANCE 24

REUTERS photo

High school and university students opposed to labour reforms were planning fresh protests across France on April 5 as the lower house National Assembly was to begin examining the contested bill.

Previous protests, spearheaded by France’s powerful labour unions and students, have brought hundreds of thousands of demonstrators onto the streets over the past month.

Marches were scheduled in Paris and France’s largest cities including in Marseille, Lille, Nantes, Rennes and Strasbourg, where students were on Easter break.

While mostly peaceful, some protests have ended with violent clashes between students and riot police.

Commuter and regional travel has also seen occasional disruptions, with rail workers joining strikes.

“We need a lot of people at the demonstrations tomorrow and Saturday,” William Martinet, president of the UNEF student union, told reporters on April 4. “The number of young people who will be on the streets will be decisive in bringing about change.”


Read more on France 24.