Police fire teargas, water cannon during Paris labour law protest
Source: Reuters
World | Tue Jun 14, 2016 2:24pm EDT
Police fire teargas, water cannon during Paris labour law protest
PARIS | BY BRIAN LOVE
Gangs of masked youths smashed windows and hurled stones at riot police as thousands of people marched through Paris on Tuesday in protest at a planned change of labour laws that would make hiring and firing easier.
Police fired dozens of volleys of teargas and used water cannon to disperse highly mobile groups of mostly black-clad youths. The police department reported 20 police and six protesters injured and 21 arrests in a street march led by labour unions.
Tuesday's scuffles came at a time when police are stretched to ensure security during the month-long Euro soccer tournament, with France on maximum alert since Islamist militants killed 130 people in November.
The hardline CGT labour union had called for a big turnout to prove opposition to the labour reform is still strong despite waning turnout at rallies and strikes.
But estimates varied widely. The Force Ouvriere union, which is allied with the CGT, put it at 1 million people in Paris, while police said between 75,000 and 80,000 people took part in marches in the capital.
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