French protest treaty

PARIS – Thousands of demonstrators marched peacefully Sunday in Paris to denounce austerity measures in Europe that have sparked violent protests in other EU countries struggling to avert fiscal crises.

The march, organized largely by the Left Front party and the Communists, comes before the French parliament’s debate this week on a European fiscal treaty. Organizers put turnout at more than 80,000; police declined to provide an estimate.

The treaty would set up the European Stability Mechanism bailout fund European leaders hope will help calm a debt crisis that threatens the eurozone and the global economy.

The main conservative opposition party and most Socialist lawmakers back the treaty, but it has splintered the French left.