French Riot Police Quell Jobless Protest Nation Has 12.4% Unemployed, One-Third For More Than A Year

Riot police fired tear gas to break up a sit-in by jobless protesters at the French capital’s chamber of commerce Tuesday, while thousands of other demonstrators marched in several French cities.

The protests were the largest since jobless demonstrators began occupying welfare agencies and other offices across the country a month ago, demanding more aid from Socialist Prime Minister Lionel Jospin.

But Jospin on Tuesday stood by his limited emergency aid as he tried to hold the budget line to qualify for the euro, Europe’s single currency planned next year.

France suffers from 12.4 percent unemployment, and more than one-third of the unemployed have been out of work for more than a year.

Helmeted police clashed with a few dozen youths among the 200 jobless protesters who took over the Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Paris. Activists grabbed a fire hose and drenched police as they advanced inside the ornate building.

Hooded demonstrators threw garbage cans, trash and chairs at the officers from the building’s windows. But the protest ended peacefully, and no injuries or arrests were reported.

About 5,000 people chanting, “Unemployed, we’re fed up!” and “Unemployed, employed, solidarity!” pushed empty shopping carts to symbolize their plight and marched from the Labor Ministry to the headquarters of France’s main employers’ association.

French radio reported up to 15,000 people marched in Marseille, a stronghold of the Communist-led General Labor Confederation, and about a dozen other cities.

On Friday, Jospin promised 1 billion francs, or $160 million, in emergency aid to the hardest-hit jobless. On Saturday his government ordered riot police to expel demonstrators from about 20 public offices.

The protests have been a severe embarrassment to the leftist coalition that took power in elections last June partly on anger against the previous conservative government’s inability to reduce unemployment.

The jobless protests and rising street violence linked to a lack of youth jobs have plagued Jospin in recent weeks and could weaken the left in March regional elections.