Student protests turn violent in Paris
A kiosk was set on fire and some students threw stones at police at the end of a rally in Paris by several thousand university and high school students.
Protests across France have gathered in momentum since hundreds of thousands of protesters turned out on March 7 to protest against the law, which critics say reduces job protection for young people. The protests have been largely peaceful so far.
Student leaders said more than 300,000 marched across France and that 64 of the country's 84 universities had been hit by the protests yesterday.
Officials reported lower numbers.
The protests could hurt the conservative Mr de Villepin's hopes of running for president in 2007. He says the law will help reduce unemployment among the young, now running at 22.8%, more than twice the overall national rate.
Police fired tear gas after 100 students briefly occupied a town hall in the western city of Rennes.
Thousands of students marched in the Mediterranean port city of Marseille and in Bordeaux in the south-west.
In Paris, police in riot gear fired tear gas at several dozen youths pelting them with stones in a neighbourhood dotted with government ministries. Student leaders said about 120,000 marched across the capital.
Opinion polls show de Villepin's popularity has tumbled during the biggest test of his 10 months in office.
"Chirac, de Villepin, Sarkozy, your trial period is up," read one banner in Paris, referring to President Jacques Chirac, his prime minister and Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy.
"Of course we're against [the law]. It will enable the bosses to fire people without any cause," said high school student Pedro Amorim, 17.
Some students daubed "anti-CPE" on their faces, a reference to the so-called 'First Job Contract' that allows employers to dismiss workers under 26 during a two-year trial period without having to give a reason.
