French police use teargas to end Sorbonne protest

international | rights, freedoms and repression | other press Saturday March 11, 2006 12:05 by Conor.J.McGowan - Irish Socialist Network (personal capacity)

In the weekend of the USI national conference, a quick look to the contenient...

PARIS - French riot police used teargas on Saturday to break up a protest at Paris's Sorbonne university, which students had occupied to press the government to abandon its youth jobs plan, local media reported.

Students had occupied the prestigious university, which was at the centre of France's 1968 student riots, since Wednesday to protest against the jobs plans, which has sent conservative Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin's popularity tumbling.

Police stormed the Sorbonne just before 4 a.m. (0300 GMT), forcing out around 200 students staging the protest, some of whom then threw bottles at the police, France Info radio said.

Thousands of people have protested this week at the jobs plan, with students demonstrating at universities across France.

Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy decided to return early from a trip to the French West Indies because of the student demonstrations, France Info said.

Support for the new employment plan has hit Villepin's once solid popularity. An opinion poll published on Monday showed a seven-point fall in his approval rating in the past month to its lowest level since he was named prime minister in May 2005.

Villepin, widely believed to be considering a presidential bid in 2007 elections, has made reducing jobless queues his top priority since becoming prime minister nine months ago.

The jobs plan is based on a new employment contract, the CPE, which would allow firms to hire people aged under 26 for a two-year trial period before offering them a permanent job. Villepin says the CPE will encourage firms to hire young people.

Critics say it will make it easier for companies to fire young workers, increasing the feeling of insecurity that was seen as one of the root causes of suburban riots last year.