Rally turns violent

Paris

A massive strike and rally against France’s new youth labor law turned violent this week, despite a heavy police presence. Some 4,000 riot police guarded routes into Paris from nearby housing projects, hoping to prevent a repeat of last week’s violence, when low-income youths from the projects attacked protesting union workers and students. This time, though, the violence came from the marchers themselves. They hurled bottles and rocks at the cops, who responded with tear gas. The protestors are demanding the repeal of a new law that lets employers fire workers younger than 26 at any time during their first two years on the job.