Equality and Human Rights Framework
May Day police repression of Paris protests
Monday 2 May 2016
General
Yesterday, riot police in Paris were heavy-handed in their repression of protests against proposed changes to labour laws.
The protests occurred on May Day, an international day to honour workers and their struggles.
According to ABC, "The reforms would give employers more flexibility to agree to in-house deals with employees on working time, a move the government says is needed to bring down unemployment now above 10 per cent. Critics say the reforms will lead to poorer working conditions and more sackings."
A reported 80,000 protesters marched throughout France, including between 20-70,000 in Paris alone.
The protests come in the wake of the 'Nuit Debout' ('Up All Night') assemblies which have been occurring at the Place de la Republique throughout April. Nuit Debout is a response to Prime Minister Manuel Valls's labour market reforms. The movement has since spread to other French cities, as well as Belgium, Germany and Spain.
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