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Thousands of people across France have taken to the streets to voice their protest against a newly proposed labor reform. Some rallies took a violent turn with police deploying tear gas to disperse and dozens reported injured.
- 10 April 2016
08:05 GMTAt least eight people have been arrested "for throwing stones, carrying prohibited weapons, burglary and vandalism"during the Paris protests, the city council said.
- 08:05 GMTHundreds of people have staged a protest in front of the residence of French PM Manuel Valls, BFMTV reported. The demonstrators were then blocked by police forces, who deployed tear gas against them.
"Paris, rise up," chanted the demonstrators.
- 09 April 2016
16:06 GMTAt least 8,000 people gathered in the streets of Toulouse.
Read more @: Huge anti-labor reform protests rock France
In Paris, groups of protesters marching from Republic Square to Nation Square via Bastille Square were surrounded by increasing numbers of riot police as they proceeded along the route. The atmosphere on the march was tense, with lawyers from the French Lawyers’ Union (SAF) handing out leaflets advising demonstrators on how to react if arrested.
In Rennes, where several thousand protesters marched, riot police charged the marchers and fired large quantities of tear gas and stun grenades. Demonstrators set up flaming barricades in areas near the Lices neighborhood, where street fighting occurred. There were reports of firemen coming under fire from birdshot until police charges cleared the area. According to the news program 20 Minutes, 18 people were injured in Rennes, including five with critical wounds such as skull fractures and eye injuries resulting from police baton attacks.
Tens of thousands of people marched in Marseille near the Old Port and in Toulouse, where student protesters joined a demonstration of actors at the Toulouse National Theater (TNT) before occupying Capitole Square.
In all, several hundreds of thousands of people marched in some 200 cities across France against the El Khomri Law and the broader austerity agenda of the European Union, defying the state of emergency imposed by the PS after the November 13 terror attacks in Paris.
Read more @: Huge anti-labor reform protests rock France
A new labor law reform bill has been introduced in France and since March massive protests have been going underway in France. The new labor law would increase the workday to 46 hours, reduce payouts to employees, weaken worker protection laws so workers can be fired more easily. There is also talk that this movement that is sweeping France is about something bigger, that the dominant 'Socialist Party' has embraced neo-liberalism and that there is little other alternative option for the French people to embrace. Many who are a part of this movement are calling for the end to neo-liberalism and the creation of an alternate democratic system.