11/03/06: Youth on the edge *
* Young people all across France are currently protesting a new labor law passed by the government on Thursday despite a majority of the French population being against it. This law, backed by French PM Dominique de Villepin, will create a new form of two-year contract (the infamous CPE, First Employment Contract) for under-26-year-olds which employers can break off at any time without explanation.
At 4am this morning, the Sorbonne which had been occupied by hundreds of students for 3 days, was stormed by riot police to expel the protesters. Half of France's universities are under some form of strike or occupation. After the unrest and riots in the suburbs last year, this is reflecting the growing uneasiness and despair of the youth about the lack of opportunities, and their desillusion towards the politicians.
More than 20% of 18 to 25-year-olds are unemployed (double the national average) and among the poorest communities, it reaches 40%.
Taken at the Trocadéro. Part of "A stroll in Paris"
