protests and strikes in france
TRANSCRIPT
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Since March, a series of protests, strikes, and marches have slowed down or stopped various parts of France, as demonstrators and labor unions voice their opposition to a set of proposed labor law reforms that will relax existing regulations.
France’s Socialist government has pushed through proposals that will lengthen the work week to 48 hours from 35, and make it easier for employers to hire and fire workers, despite strong opposition in Parliament and from the public.
As the French Senate began debating the proposals this week, more protests and strikes are planned—even while France’s infrastructure is being strained as it hosts the Euro 2016 Soccer Championship.
A French policeman in riot gear holds a Flashball gun as French high school and university students take part in a demonstration against the labor reform bill proposal in Nantes, France, on March 24, 2016.
French riot police clash with protesters demonstrating against labor law reforms close to the Gare de Lyon train station in Paris on March 31, 2016.
A view of people listening to speeches as they take part in the Nuit Debout , or Up All Night, movement at Place de la Republique on April 10, 2016, in Paris.
Students march to Place de la Republique during a demonstration against a draft law on labor reforms on April 14, 2016, in Paris, France.
French labor union workers and students attend a demonstration against the French labor law proposal in Paris, France, as part of a nationwide labor reform protests and strikes, on April 28, 2016.
Students shout slogans during a demonstration in Marseille, southern France, on April 28, 2016, during a nationwide day of protest.
A police surveillance drone flies over a demonstration in Paris, as part of nationwide labor reform protests and strikes on April 28, 2016.
Riot police arrest a man during a demonstration against the French government's proposed labor reforms on April 28, 2016, in Nantes.
A policeman reacts in a clash with protesters in Lyon, France, on April 28.
A vehicle burns as French riot police clear the Place de la Republique in Paris during a protest by the Nuit Debout, or Up All Night, movement on April 29.
French riot police officers spray pepper gas at a demonstrator during a protest against labor laws, in Paris on May 12, 2016.
A police car burns during a demonstration against police brutality on May 18, 2016, in Paris.
A police officer watches riot police officers supervising demonstrators against a labor law bill, on May 19, 2016, in Paris.
Protesters walk behind a banner reading “Withdrawal of labor law reform” on May 19, 2016, in Saint-Nazaire, western France.
Riot police prepare to intervene to disperse refinery workers staging a blockade of the Douchy-Les-Mines oil depot to protest against the government's proposed labor reforms, on May 25, 2016.
Riot police clash with protestors during a demonstration held as part of nationwide labor actions in Paris on May 26, 2016.
A protestor uses a tennis racket to return a tear gas canister during a demonstration in Nantes, France, on June 2, 2016.
Commuters wait for a bus to Orly Airport during a railway strike in Paris, on Thursday, June 2, 2016.
A waiter stands near a pile of trash bags in front of the Cafe de Flore in Paris during a garbage-collector and sewer-worker strike in Paris to protest the labor reforms law proposal, on June 8, 2016.
Tens of thousands of protesters attend a rally against labor reforms as a protester throws a stone at riot police on June 14, 2016, in Paris.
Tens of thousands of protesters attend a rally against labor reforms as riot police arrest a protester on June 14, 2016, in Paris.
Fires burn after protesters threw Molotov cocktails in the direction of riot police on June 14, 2016, in Paris.
French riot police face masked protesters attempting to break pieces of stone off of a building during a demonstration in Paris on June 14, 2016.
Workers hold flags and demonstrate during a day of strikes and protests, in Marseille, southern France, on June 14, 2016.
A demonstrator kicks a Velib bicycle during a protest against proposed labor reforms in Paris on June 14, 2016.
A wounded demonstrator bleeds in Paris on June 14, 2016.
An injured demonstrator is detained by police in Paris on June 14, 2016.