http://www.irish-times.ie/cgi-bin/ITindex?/1995/12/06/FOREIGN/H

[rust gilbert <rgilbert@xxxxxxx> (by way of Scott Marshall <Scott@xxxxxxxxxx>)]

> Half a million strikers on streets of Paris
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> MASS PROTESTS By John Maguire, Paris
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> HALF A million striking workers took to the streets in French cities
> yesterday with record-breaking turnouts in some towns. The
> organisers, the Communist-backed CGT, put the figures at 600,000 and
> the police said 400,000 took part. Rouen and Marseilles had their
> biggest demonstrations since 1968.
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> Up to 160,000 supporters of the CGT and the rival Force Ouvri=E8re
> braved snow showers to join the protest in Paris, where the
> atmosphere was markedly more angry than during similar protests last
> month.
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> The demonstration in the capital took four hours to wind its way
> through the city, causing severe traffic congestion. Marchers were
> peaceful but vocal in calling for a unified general strike with the
> private sector and for the resignation of the Prime Minister, Mr
> Alain Jupp=E9.
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> Brief clashes broke out between riot police and protesters in
> Nantes.
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> At Paris Saint Lazare train station police moved in at the end of
> the afternoon to disperse protesters who overturned cars and set
> fire to a phone box after most demonstrators had dispersed.
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> The group subsequently moved towards the Pigalle area, overturning
> and damaging more cars and attacking a shop. Police pursued them,
> according to eyewitnesses.
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> Yesterday's protests will be repeated tomorrow throughout the
> country, when an even greater turnout is expected, with student
> organisations swelling the ranks of angry workers.
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> The cold snowy conditions did nothing to cool the ardour of the
> demonstrators. But the government is facing a critical stage of the
> strikes, with electricity supplies falling by the day.
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> The government meanwhile is stepping up its efforts to break the
> transport strike by SNCF train drivers by adding more buses and
> river boats to its free emergency service.
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> The authorities are also hoping to open up splits in the strike
> movement by offering minor concessions while refusing to back down
> on their basic reform plans.
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> The French rail stoppage is in its 13th day, with only a handful of
> high-speed TGV trains running to London and Brussels. Other public
> service workers are striking for the ninth straight day.
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> All public services are now affected by the industrial action to
> varying degrees. Forty per cent of French Telecom workers are
> striking, and postal services are severely hit, causing serious
> problems for businesses in the run-up to Christmas.
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> Many schools have shut and hospital workers look set to step up
> their protests. Air services are due to be hit severely in
> Thursday's demonstration.
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> According to an opinion poll finding published yesterday, President
> Chirac's popularity has dropped again, with less than a third of
> voters approving of his performance.
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> The poll, by the Louis Harris organisation for the weekly magazine
> Valeurs Actuelles, said just 28 per cent of voters backed the
> President compared with 66 per cent who disapproved of his running
> of the country. Six per cent had no opinion.
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> Despite the rejection by the unions of the prime minister's
> conciliation efforts and offers of minor concessions, there was some
> good news for the government yesterday.
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> World financial markets were kind to the French franc, and the Paris
> Stock Exchange, the Bourse, ended trading yesterday on an upward
> swing.
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> Copyright, The Irish Times
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