There are no papers out on the streets today..
But there are people in the streets.....
Wanting to find out what is happening out there in the world will have to wait. The entire country is standing in solidarity behind the under-26 year olds in their fight against the new law imposed by the very unpopular government.
When the French decide to strike, the entire country comes to a grinding halt -- and if you had thought to go join the masses in the streets to protest, you may just have great difficulty in getting there ---
Transport by rail, underground, bus, air, road and water- is non-existent today ---the nationwide strike has closed almost all of France's transport networks.
French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy met police in the capital before the march, and told them to only get tough with those he called delinquents. He asked that they protect the demonstrators, especially the youngest ones but to arrest as many thugs as they can. This afternoon there were some reports of fighting as crowds took to the streets in Paris amid a hail storm -- enough to get the emotions going any time --- but for the most part, the mood has been farily peaceful.
Unions said between 200,000 and 250,000 people turned out for a march in Marseille - many more than at the previous worker-student demonstrations on 18 March and in the western city of Nantes, police put the figure at 42,000, more than double the 18 March turnout. Le Mans, Rouen and Tours also reported increased crowds.
Schools, post-offices, banks, government offices and unemployment bureaux are also closed, as are the gas, electricity, financial institutions.
Protesters are bitterly opposed to the First Employment Contract (CPE), which allows employers to end job contracts for under-26s at any time during a two-year trial period without having to offer an explanation or give prior warning.
The government says it will encourage employers to hire young people, but students fear it will erode job stability in a country where more than 20% of 18-to-25-year-olds are unemployed.
The latest demonstrations are seen to be a real test of the Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin's resolve, and it is hard to see how he can break the stalemate. But the latest news is that he still will not budge. ------- which may well be the death knell for this government and pave the way for the next......for, to find a solution without losing face - or ground to his main rival for the presidency, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy - is proving the biggest challenge of Mr de Villepin's political career.
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