French violence falls to normal level, police say

PARIS, Nov 17 (Reuters) - Urban violence has dropped to normal levels in France after three weeks of unrest in its run-down suburbs, police said on Thursday.

Ninety-eight vehicles were set ablaze on Wednesday night, a sharp drop from the peak of the violence when about 1,400 vehicles were torched on the night of Nov. 6. Police detained 33 people during the night.

"The situation has returned to normal because about 100 vehicles are set on fire each night in France," a police spokesman said.

Violence erupted on Oct. 27 after the accidental deaths of two youths electrocuted while apparently fleeing police.

The rioting has been blamed mostly on youths who feel excluded from mainstream society and are frustrated by racism, harsh police treatment and high unemployment. Many of the rioters are of Arab and African origin but some are white.

Urban unrest has receded since the government adopted emergency measures including curfews last week, although few areas have used the anti-riot powers.

The Senate approved a government law on Wednesday extending the measures for three months, completing the bill's passage through parliament. - reuters

France 'faces real and serious terror threat'

17/11/2005 - France faces a serious and real threat of a terror attack, Interior Ministry Nicolas Sarkozy said today.

"The threat is serious," Sarkozy said in a speech opening a seminar of terrorism. "The risk of violent action on our territory is real."

It was not the first time that Sarkozy or other government officials have said France faced a terrorist threat.

The minister is pushing a bill to boost France's anti-terror legislation, including increased use of video surveillance. - IOL

- Interpol chiefs warn of bioterror attack risk

Morrocco arrests 17 including 2 Guantanamo ex detainees. The arrests were announced hours after French interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy concluded a meeting with his Moroccan counterpart, Mustapha Sahel, devoted mainly to the fight against terrorism

Poll suggests shift to right as voters back Chirac's crackdown

Jon Henley in Paris November 21, 2005 -The Guardian

After three weeks of urban violence that saw nearly 10,000 cars go up in flames and some 3,000 mainly immigrant youths arrested, a large majority of French voters firmly back the government's tough law-and-order stance and would favour even stricter controls on immigration, a poll showed yesterday.

Asked by a newspaper whether France was swinging to the right, a political analyst, Dominique Reynié, said: "Yes. There is a strong tendency to shift rightwards, partly for demographic reasons - the French are getting older, and an ageing nation is a frightened nation. This has been accentuated by the crisis in the suburbs. The shock of November 2005 will stay with us."

According to the survey, by the CSA group for the popular daily Le Parisien, 68% of the electorate support the centre-right cabinet's decision to prolong state-of-emergency powers, which allow local authorities to impose curfews if considered necessary, by a further three months, despite a continuing sharp fall in the number of arson and other attacks.

Some 55% approve of the interior minister Nicolas Sarkozy's order that all non-French citizens convicted of participating in the riots, including those with residence permits, should be immediately expelled from France, while 56% would like to see more restrictive rules on the right of foreign relatives to join their family.

Support for the government's measures is by no means restricted to the right and far-right, the CSA poll suggested, with 55% of Socialist supporters, 51% of Green party voters and 75% of more radical far-left supporters expressing approval for an extended state of emergency.

But almost all voters also backed moves to try to achieve a better social and ethnic mix in communities around the country by forcing local mayors to ensure that at least 20% of their housing stock is subsidised, low-rent accommodation, and nearly 90% approved of President Jacques Chirac's plan for a civil volunteer force to familiarise disadvantaged youths with France's republican values and prepare them better for the job market. guardian.co.uk

French MPs back surveillance plan

Sarkozy started drafting the bill in the wake of the London bombings

France's lawmakers have voted to accept anti-terror measures which would boost video surveillance in public places.

The bill will allow cameras to be used on public transport and in places of worship, shops and other public areas. The bill has been criticised by civil rights groups, but Mr Sarkozy says it strikes the right balance between security and personal freedoms. The house will take a final vote on the whole bill on Tuesday. The upper house will discuss it in January. Mr Sarkozy told parliament the country should brace itself for a terror attack.

"We are not in the least protected from this war because its instigators are unpredictable," the interior minister said. "The possibility of violent acts being committed on our soil is a real one."

British model

Mr Sarkozy started drawing up the new laws in the wake of the London bombings and was reportedly inspired by Britain's subsequent inquiry, in which CCTV footage played a major role in tracking down the perpetrators. The new plans would also allow private companies to install cameras outside their premises, granting the police access to all the footage. At present, there are only about 60,000 CCTVs in France, compared with between 4m and 7m in the UK. - BBC

Sarkozy wants new-look presidency

Jan 13th 2006 - French interior minister and presidential hopeful Nicolas Sarkozy has outlined ideas to reform the job. Mr Sarkozy said future presidents should take a greater role in the day-to-day governing of the country.

In a new year's address, he also said he would reform the immigration system, and increase the number of deportations from under 20,000 to 25,000 next year.

[my note: what if there are less people to dport Nicky? you gonna start rounding up people indiscriminately to meet your targets? dur!]

And he urged the European Union to halt enlargement until it had reformed its institutions.

But he said that this should not interfere with the pace of progress among larger nations, such as France, Germany, the UK, Spain, Italy and Poland, who should form a "strategic partnership" and play a genuine role as the engine of the EU.

Role reversal

The minister said last autumn's urban rioting reflected years of political failure, and he called for a shake-up of France's power structure. "Rather than a president who presides, we need a president who leads. The future president will inevitably be different from the ones who came before," Mr Sarkozy said.

Mr Sarkozy has made no secret of his intention to run for president in elections next year, and his comments will be seen as a thinly veiled attack on President Jacques Chirac, says the BBC's Alasdair Sandford in Paris. In addition, Mr Sarkozy said, parliament should take on the presidential role of determining foreign and defence policy. The prime minister's role should be reduced to that of governmental co-ordinator.

In what was seen as a reference to Mr Chirac, who has not ruled out running for president for a third time, Mr Sarkozy said presidential mandates should be restricted to two. "The energy spent on staying [in power] is not spent on doing," he said.

On his immigration proposals, including a new bill to be presented to the cabinet in February, Mr Sarkozy said immigration was something that could bring dynamism to the French economy, if the right people were attracted. - BBC

Student protests over 'Anglo-Saxon' job laws

By Colin Randall, Paris March 16, 2006

THOUSANDS of students marched through Paris and blockaded universities across France as their revolt against the Government over a controversial new youth employment law intensified.

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin has staked his reputation, and possibly his job, on a measure that aims to cut rampant youth unemployment with two-year contracts that enable employers to sidestep rigid French labour laws and fire young workers without reason.

It has provoked violent protests and on Tuesday, riot police were on standby in the capital.

"This is not 1968 all over again," said a Sorbonne University student, referring to the tumultuous Paris spring riots. Elodie, 21, a sociology student, said: "The issues are different from those our parents were protesting about. We are marching for the right to proper jobs."

Romain, 20, a communications student, said: "We don't want the Anglo-Saxon economic model here. The protests will be kept up as long as necessary but we are not trying to bring down the Government, just to get them to withdraw this bad law."

Despite a weekend operation by riot police to end a student occupation of the Sorbonne, and clashes at the neighbouring College de France, the protests have spread to other parts of the country.

More than half of France's 84 state universities are strikebound or engulfed by demonstrators.

Amid gathering unrest on the streets, President Jacques Chirac pledged his support to the beleaguered centre-right Government.

"I support totally and without reservations the action carried out by the Prime Minister and Government," he said during a visit to Berlin.

The protests have mushroomed into the biggest test of Mr de Villepin's 10 months in office, prompting speculation about his future.

With more demonstrations scheduled for today and Saturday, Mr Chirac ended a long silence over protests and backed the youth jobs contract as "an important element" in the fight against youth unemployment.

Protesters, trade unions and opposition politicians say the new contract makes it easier to fire young workers, while Mr de Villepin argues that it encourages firms to hire and helps to cut youth unemployment, currently at about 23 per cent.

theage.com.au

Chirac calls for talks as student protests grow

Fri. Mar. 17 2006 CTV.ca News Staff

French President Jacques Chirac called for urgent talks between government ministers and student union groups Friday as protestors clashed with police over a controversial new labour law.

"The government is ready for dialogue. For my part, I hope it starts as quickly as possible," Chirac said.

His comments came after at least 300 people were arrested across the country during protests over new laws that would make it easier for employers to fire workers under 26.

The violence began last weekend when riot police stormed the Sorbonne University in Paris after at least 200 students barricaded themselves into a classroom.

Police used tear gas to remove the demonstrators, who threw furniture and ladders out of the windows.

Clashes have continued all week, with many of the demonstrations taking place around the Sorbonne.

The worst violence was on Thursday, when police blasted crowds of youth with water cannons and tear gas, while the protestors returned fire with stones and set cars on fire.

At least 50 police officers have been injured in the clashes, officials said.

France's main student union has condemned the riots, which French officials claimed was due to the actions of just a few dissidents.

"There was a demonstration that went smoothly, and then there were a few delinquents who came to pick a fight," Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy told reporters Thursday.

Chirac appealed for calm, but maintained his support for the new work contract, calling it "an important element in the policy of fighting unemployment," and adding it "will create new jobs for young people who are today largely left out of the job market."

On Saturday, French police will likely face the largest protests yet, when student groups and unions plan to stage unified protests.

The government could pay a political price if it is unable to defuse the growing unrest across the country.

The man who is widely seen as Chirac's preferred successor -- Dominique de Villepin -- is also supporting the new proposals, and his presidential ambitions could suffer if the government is unable to contain the growing protests.

The contract de Villepin and Chirac are pushing would allow employers to fire younger workers within the first two years of their employment, without having to provide a reason or explanation.

The French government insists the law will actually stimulate job creation by encouraging employers to hire younger people.

Unemployment among young adults is currently at a dismal 23 per cent, and is twice that amount in low income suburbs, many of which have high immigrant populations.

Those areas were the scene of massive riots last year, and the new contract is one way the government responded to the riots.

However, France's young people cherish current strong labour laws which make it difficult for employers to fire workers and fear the new contract will undermine the strength of those laws.

Villepin said he is willing to discuss the framework of the law and look at ways to improve it, but has not signalled any intention to cave in to demonstrators' demands to back away from the plan.

ctv.ca

UK & US coverage of French revolt "reserved" say Liberation

http://libcom.org 18 March, 2006

French paper Liberation reviews international coverage of the French CPE crisis:

From the New York Times to the London Times, Fridays Anglo-Saxon press is very reserved in its coverage of the anti-CPE revolt in the streets of Paris and elsewhere.

Students, CRS, banners and rioting - all the stereotypes of the French demonstration are expressed. "The French in the street, but its not 68″ says the headline of New York Times. The article explains why, some 38 years after the revolutionary spring of May 68, the young people of 2006 are no longer soft idealists dreaming to change the world.

"The objective of the students this time is much more modest", writes their correspondent in France. And it quotes a trade-union official from UNEF (student union): "Our revolt is not to obtain more. But to keep what we have."

The Financial Times adopts a more political angle and sees concern for Domenique de Villepin. "the assertion of Mr. de Villepin, who insists that that the CPE will be helpful, is crushed more and more by an increasing opposition of the young unemployed of the poor suburbs" note the journalists of the FT.

"Interviewed this week by the Financial Times, the young disenchanted people of the Clichy-sous-bois suburb of Paris, are practically all opposed to the contract. Many stress that they will refuse to a job with the new contract" continues the paper.

"The French students return to the street" says the Times, with the photograph to support. The correspondent of the London daily newspaper in Paris lengthily analyzes the political awkwardnesses of the French Prime Minister. In his blog, Charles Bremner dares a parallel with the storming of the Bastille. The Guardian finds that the quarrel between students and trade unions dissatisfied on one side, and the government on the other, is of an importance such as to pose deep questions that go beyond the borders of France. "Because of its tendency to polarize and dramatize politics, France always had the capacity to show the rest of the world the really significant questions". libcom.org

more pictures, articles & responses

Students and unions jubilant at Paris protests

By Martin Arnold in Paris - Published: March 28 2006

French students and trades unions were in jubilant mood on Tuesday after more than 1m people took to the streets in protest against government labour reforms.

Despite the record turnout, Dominique de Villepin, the embattled prime minister, appeared to stand firm, brushing aside calls from members of the governing party to reach a compromise about his youth employment law. "The republic is not about preconditions, it is not about ultimatums," he told parliament.

There is mounting speculation that President Jacques Chirac, who yesterday cancelled a trip to be able to remain in Paris, could intervene in regard to the crisis. However, the president seems unlikely to take a decision until a constitutional court ruling on Thursday upon the validity of the new law.

Nicolas Sarkozy, interior minister and Mr de Villepin's biggest rival for next year's presidential election, on Tuesday suggested a temporary suspension of the law during negotiations with unions.

Violence erupted in central Paris again, adding a sour note to the demonstrations that students and unions said attracted 3m people across France. In Paris, police arrested more than 100 people after gangs of youths - most from poor suburbs - disrupted the march. Police stepped up their presence at railway stations to intercept the casseurs - or troublemakers - and used paint balls filled with indelible ink to identify the mostly hooded figures trying to rob student protesters and smashing shop windows. Police also fired teargas.

Bernard Thibault, head of the communist CGT union, said: "We are more than 3m people today in the streets; it is historic. It is unthinkable that the prime minister will keep up his limpet-like attachment to his position." Police estimates put the number of protesters considerably lower.

Unions will meet today to decide their next steps if the government were to refuse to accept their demands for withdrawal of the first job contract - the CPE - that would allow companies to sack young workers more easily during a two-year trial.

France was also hit by widespread strikes in public transport, schools and many state-owned companies. Air traffic was heavily disrupted after 30 per cent of air traffic controllers went on strike. In Paris, about two-thirds of metro trains, regional trains and buses were running.

The government may be hoping that the constitutional court gives it an exit route from the crisis by blocking the law. However, few legal experts expect it to declare the law unconstitutional, either because it discriminates against people aged under 26 or because it allows people to be sacked for no reason.

Eric Woerth, a centre-right UMP deputy and close ally of Mr Sarkozy, said the idea of a temporary suspension of the labour law was "the best way for everyone to get out of this crisis with their heads held high".

Mr de Villepin triggered a walk-out of parliament by the centrist UDF party when he left questions from opposition parties to his ministers and only answered those from his own party. He repeated his offer to "improve" the contract during talks with unions, without changing the contract's fundamental shape.

Jean-Marc Ayrault, leader of the parliamentary Socialist party, called on him to "forget your pride, make peace with the French people". - ft.com

Another Nationwide Strike Disrupts France

By JENNY BARCHFIELD, Associated Press Writer - 4th April 2006 - PARIS -

A nationwide strike shut down the Eiffel Tower and snarled air and rail travel for the second time in a week Tuesday while students barricaded themselves in schools to protest a jobs measure that has riven the country and put the government in crisis mode.

Protesters have mounted ever-larger demonstrations for two months against the law, which would make it easier to fire young workers. But President Jacques Chirac signed it anyway Sunday, saying it will help France keep pace with the global economy.

He offered modifications, but students and unions rejected them, saying they want the law withdrawn, not softened.

"What Chirac has done is not enough," said Rebecca Konforti, 18, who was among a group of students who jammed tables against the door of their high school in southern Paris to block entry. "They're not really concessions. He just did it to calm the students."

By midday, police said at least 100,000 people had hit French streets, including buoyant students parading through Marseille under a sunny southern sky and major marches from Nantes in the west to Saint-Etienne in the southeast. Protests even reached the French Indian Ocean island of Reunion, where 2,000 people marched.

Some 60 students lobbed eggs and other objects at police in the northern city of Lille, and at least one person was detained.

Organizers, who said the turnout was in the hundreds of thousands, hoped it would exceed the 1 million who marched last week. The afternoon march in Paris promised to be the biggest, and the city deployed 4,000 police to avert violence that marred previous protests.

Police actively looked to thwart troublemakers. At Paris' Saint-Lazare station, riot officers with weapons and a police dog pulled over train travelers disembarking from the suburbs, searching their bags and checking identities.

Tourists, meanwhile, stood bewildered before closed gates at the Eiffel Tower. Parisian commuters flattened themselves onto limited subway trains. Garbage bins in some Paris neighborhoods stood overflowing and uncollected by striking sanitation workers.

Irish budget airline Ryanair canceled all its flights in and out of France.

The strike appeared weaker, however, than last week's action. Signs of a possible breakthrough began to emerge as labor leaders suggested they could hold talks with lawmakers after Tuesday's demonstrations.

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin devised the disputed "first job contract" as a bid to boost the economy and stem chronic youth unemployment. He maintains it would encourage hiring by allowing employers to fire workers under 26 during their first two years on a job without giving a reason. The measure is meant to cut a 22 percent unemployment rate among youths that reaches 50 percent in some poor, heavily immigrant neighborhoods. Villepin has cited the national statistics agency as saying it would create up to 80,000 new jobs at zero cost to the state.

Critics say it threatens France's hallmark labor protections, and the crisis has severely damaged Villepin's political reputation.

Chirac stepped in Friday to order two major modifications - reducing a trial period of two years to one year and forcing employers to explain any firings - in hopes of defusing the crisis. In so doing, he dealt a blow to Villepin, his one-time top aide and apparent choice as successor next year. In an apparent first in France, Chirac signed the original measure into law this weekend, as promised, but also effectively suspended it with an order that it not be applied. The 73-year-old president's legal sleight of hand kept the law alive while a new version is in the works.

Now that the law has been signed, protesters have less maneuvering room. The government appeared to be hoping that protests would die down after Tuesday's big event and was looking to possible talks between more moderate unions and lawmakers led by Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy.

Sarkozy, a leading presidential hopeful, is the only senior government official unscathed by the crisis.

The head of the governing UMP party's bloc in parliament, Bernard Accoyer, told reporters he had invited labor leaders to talks.

Two labor leaders - CFDT union chief Francois Chereque and CGT union chief Bernard Thibault - suggested they would attend. But both said they hoped the law eventually would be rejected. - news.yahoo.com

Sarkozy says cure for crisis is more reform

By Martin Arnold in Paris Published: April 5 2006

Nicolas Sarkozy, France's interior minister, on Wednesday sought to distance himself from his country's discredited political establishment by calling for constitutional reform as the crisis over labour reforms intensified.

Dominique de Villepin, prime minister and Mr Sarkozy's main rival for next year's presidential elections, will on Thursday try to salvage his premiership by launching policies on jobs and education. But the prime minister's problems mounted after students and trade unions set a deadline of April 15 for repeal of the contentious youth labour law.

Mr Sarkozy, leader of the ruling centre-right UMP party, said constitutional reform would address the "crisis of political representation" which, he claimed, had opened a gap between voters and politicians, fuelling violent protests. He compared the "serious crisis" over the youth labour law with riots across poor suburbs in November, claiming both illustrated the "exhaustion" of the country's political system.

Mr de Villepin's popularity has plummeted during the crisis, hurting his electoral prospects. He has been exposed to ridicule from critics in the media and opposition benches after being forced to step aside while Mr Sarkozy took charge of talks on changing the prime minister's unpopular labour law.

Le Parisien newspaper yesterday ran a front page headline, saying: "What is the point of de Villepin?"

Opponents of the youth labour law on Wednesday started talks with parliamentary leaders of Mr Sarkozy's UMP party, aimed at ending a crisis that has split the government, driven millions of protesters into the streets and sparked calls for reform of France's institutions.

François Chérèque, head of the moderate CFDT union, said he was "optimistic" after talks with UMP leaders, adding: "We feel MPs are little by little starting to backtrack. Now they have a presentatation problem. We must give them time."

However, the two sides still seemed far from a deal after unions threatened more strikes if the law was not withdrawn before parliament's Easter break.

Mr Sarkozy's condemnation of the "poverty of the political debate" and the "opaque decision-making process and insufficient responsibility" of the French system, is thinly veiled criticism of Jacques Chirac, president for the past 11 years, whom he aims to replace in next year's elections.

His call for constitutional reform, including a stronger parliament and more accountable president, will also boost his image as the candidate of "rupture", or break, with a discredited political and social system despite being a top member of the government for five years.

Referring to trying to bridge the divide between voters and their politicians, he said: "More than one out of two voters today no longer relates to their elected representatives." - news.ft.com

France to replace youth job law

French President Jacques Chirac has announced that the new youth employment law that sparked weeks of sometimes violent protests will be scrapped. He said it would be replaced by other measures to tackle youth unemployment.

Millions of students and union members have taken to the streets over the last month in protest against the law, which made it easier to fire young workers. Union and student leaders said it was a "great victory" but it is not clear if protests set for Tuesday are still on. The law introduced a new work contract, known as the First Employment Contract or CPE for under-26s.

FIRST JOB CONTRACT

Contrat Premiere Embauche (CPE): A new work contract for under-26s allowing a two-year trial period In that period, employers can end a contract without explanation After two years, the CPE reverts to a standard full-time contract Became law on 2 April

It was to allow a two-year trial period, during which employers could end a contract without explanation.

The plan to replace the CPE was announced after a meeting between the president, Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and other senior ministers on Monday. The new package of measures includes offering state support for employers hiring young people who face the most difficulties in gaining access to the labour market. It was being submitted to parliament on Monday and is expected to be voted on in the next few days.

'Dramatic situation'

Speaking in a live television address, Mr de Villepin said the president had accepted his proposed changes. The prime minister said he was convinced that the only way of addressing joblessness in France was a better balance between flexibility for employers and security for employees. "For some time the action of the government had been guided by one objective, to provide thousands of young people from our society with opportunities for jobs," he said. "I wanted to act very quickly because the dramatic situation and the despair of a number of young people warranted it. "This was not understood by everyone, I'm sorry to say," said Mr de Villepin, who saw his poll ratings decline during the two-month crisis.

The BBC's Alasdair Sandford in Paris says it is a significant climbdown for the French government and is particularly humiliating for Mr de Villepin who had staked much of his personal credibility on the measure.

Demands

Union leaders had given the government until Easter weekend to withdraw the law or face a repeat of the recent general strikes.

Student leader Julie Coudry called for protesters to lift blockades at dozens of universities so students could prepare for their end-of-year exams. "The CPE is dead, the CPE is well and truly finished," she said.

But some students appeared unwilling to abandon their protest. Many had wanted the entire law to be revoked, not just the article introducing the employment contract. "Our demands have not really been met," Lise Prunier, a student at the University of Paris-Jussieu told the Associated Press. BBC

Bowing to Pressure, Chirac Replaces Law

Apr 10, 2006 - By CHRISTINE OLLIVIER Associated Press Writer - PARIS (AP) --

President Jacques Chirac on Monday scrapped a controversial part of a youth labor law that triggered massive protests and strikes, bowing to intense pressure from students and unions and dealing a blow to his loyal premier in a bid to end the crisis. Unions celebrated what they called "a great victory," and also were deciding whether to keep up the protests. The top two student union UNEF and FIDL said they would press on with demonstrations Tuesday across France.

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, who devised the law, had faced down protesters for weeks, insisting that its most divisive provision - a so-called "first job contract" - was necessary to reduce high unemployment rates among French youths by making it easier for companies to hire and fire young workers. But acting on advice from Villepin, his longtime protege, Chirac "decided to replace" the provision with one aimed at "youths in difficulty," the president's office said.

Top lawmakers from Chirac's ruling conservative party presented a new plan to parliament Monday. The proposal emerged after legislative talks last week with unions and student groups to find ways to end the crisis.

A somber Villepin, in a TV appearance, said his original legislation was designed to curb "despair of many youths" and strike a "better balance ... between more flexibility for the employer and more security for workers." "This was not understood by everyone, I'm sorry to say," Villepin said.

The crisis has discredited Chirac and devastated Villepin and his presidential ambitions - and thrown into question the government's ability to push through painful reforms to help France compete in the global economy. The new measures increase the government's role in the workplace instead of decreasing them, as Villepin had sought.

A-P correspondent Angela Charlton reports that by announcing plans to replace the law, French President Jacques Chirac was making a break with his longtime protege.

Students and other opponents had feared the previous measure would erode coveted job security - and some unions trumpeted the retreat by Chirac and his prime minister. The labor law "is dead and buried," said Jean-Claude Mailly of the Workers Force union. "The goal has been achieved."

Alain Olive, secretary-general of the UNSA union, said, "After more than two weeks of intense mobilization, the 12 syndicated groups of workers, university and high school students have won a great victory."

UNEF leader Bruno Julliard told AP Television News that the students "want to see how we can take advantage of this power struggle that is now in our favor to garner new victories."

The new four-point plan sent to parliament would bolster existing job contracts, rather than enact new ones. The government would offer more state support for companies that hire young workers. Other provisions would increase internships in areas where jobs are relatively plentiful - such as in restaurants, hotels and nursing - or guide jobseekers in their careers. Some 160,000 youths would be affected by the new measures this year, at a cost of some $180 million to the state.

The "first job contract" would have allowed employers to fire workers aged under 26 at any time during a two-year trial period without giving a reason. Chirac enacted the law earlier this month, but immediately suspended it to give ruling conservative lawmakers a chance to meet with unions and look for a way out of the turmoil. Villepin drew up the labor legislation as part of his response to last fall's rioting in France's impoverished suburbs, where many immigrants and their French-born children live. The unemployment rate for youths under 26 is a staggering 22 percent nationwide, but soars to nearly 50 percent in some of those troubled areas. The plan sparked weeks of protests and strikes that shut down dozens of universities, prompted clashes between youths and police, and tangled road, train and air travel.

At least five demonstrations since early March drew more than 100,000 people, culminating in two that each brought at least 1 million to the streets across France in the past two weeks. Many ended in violence as youths threw stones, bottles and other projectiles at riot police, who responded by firing tear gas and swinging batons.

Unions had been threatening more demonstrations and walkouts just hours before the announcement from Chirac - and some students appeared unwilling to abandon their protest right away.

"We must go forward carefully," said Lise Prunier, an 18-year-old biology student at the University of Paris-Jussieu. "For the moment, our movement will continue."

Villepin, widely seen as a potential candidate for next year's presidential elections, has suffered heavy blows to his popularity over the crisis. A new poll showed that 85 percent of French people think the crisis has also weakened the 73-year-old Chirac, in power for 11 years. The poll was conducted by the CSA polling agency last week among 1,005 respondents and gave no margin of error. - Associated Press Writers Jean-Marie Godard and Jenny Barchfield contributed to this report.

Zero tolerance policy

Original article: ejpress.org - By Rebecca Assoun in Paris Updated: 28/Apr/2006

“I believe that in Europe, after the Shoah, it isn’t the same thing when a synagogue is burnt down or when a public building is burnt down,” said France’s Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy.

He was speaking Wednesday as special guest at a breakfast event organised in Paris by CRIF, the umbrella group of French Jewish secular organisations.

In the history of the CRIF breakfast events, no politician has ever attracted such a crowd. With 250 people attending, Sarkozy attracted almost ten times as many people as Francois Hollande, the secretary general of the Socialist Party last month.

However, press was forbidden by the minister’s cabinet, allowing him to address the Jewish community more freely without worrying that his words would be quoted by the media,” said a member of the CRIF who preferred not give his name. “It is anti-democratic.”

During his speech, the minister was lauded for his stance on Israel and his fight against anti-Semitism.

“I am determined to continue to fight against anti-Semitism,” he said.

The presidential candidate for the 2007 election has taken a hard line on anti-Semitic attacks in France. He forced police to label attacks on Jewish-owned buildings anti-Semitic, rather than simple vandalism, as was the case before he became minister.

Fighting anti-Semitism

“In 2003, I gave rise to a small polemic by indicating that anti-Semitism was seriously underestimated in France," Sarkozy pointed out. “I believe that in Europe, after the Shoah, it isn’t the same thing when a synagogue is burnt down or when a public building is burnt down.”

He recalled the number of anti-Semitic acts had dropped by 47 per cent in 2005 compared with the year before. But Nicolas Sarkozy has stigmatised the suburbs where “most of these crimes take place." He said if anti-Semitism continues, it is because it has not been repressed strongly enough: “There must be a zero tolerance policy toward the actions and words of anti-Semites.”

Regarding attacks in Israel, Sarkozy said that “these barbarian acts cannot be justified. There is no excuse for cruelty”.

For the president of the UMP governing party, there is only one solution: “to fight terrorism”.

He added: “There is no question of engaging a political dialogue with the Palestinian government of Hamas as long as it won’t satisfy three elementary conditions: renunciation of violence, recognition of the international engagements subscribed by the Palestinian Authority, recognition of the right of Israel to live in peace.” “It is normal that the European Union decided to suspend its direct assistance to the Palestinian Authority,” he said.

About the recent attacks in the touristic Dahab resort in Egypt, Nicolas Sarkozy noted Hamas had condemned them: “There would be thus legitimate attacks, those where one kills the Jews as in Tel Aviv, and the others!”.

He recalled that little time after his election as the president of the UMP, he made his first trip to Israel and met Ariel Sharon: “I think I was one of the first to have congratulated him for his peace initiatives!”

Tough politics

On the eve of the 2007 presidential election, the minister also treated the two main controversial topics of his campaign: crime prevention and positive immigration.

There must be a zero tolerance policy toward the actions and words of anti-Semites.

He took Youssef Fofana, convicted leader of a gang which kidnapped and murdered 23-year-old Ilan Halimi earlier this year, as an example to illustrate about his first project.

“He didn’t become a monster in few months. He degenerated towards the most barbarian violence since his youth. That’s why the school system of health must be completely changed. We have to intervene early in supervising behavioural problems from the age of six.”

Sarkozy was defensive towards voices from the opposition in France who accuse him of using extreme right wing rhetoric to gain votes.

“It is not because Jean-Marie Pen (leader of the extreme-right Front National party) has an idea and deals with a topic that Republicans should abstain from speaking about a subject.”

“When Le Pen says a correct thing it would be an error to abstain from saying these things."

However, about immigration Sarkozy wanted to reassure the audience by distinguishing himself from Le Pen. “My project and his are radically different. Le Pen doesn’t want any immigration. I want selected immigration”.

“But who can blames me for wanting to regain votes that were ours? Voters who were disappointed by the policies of the right went to Le Pen. Now we have to make them come back to the republican camp.”

Chirac embroiled in smear allegations

By Martin Arnold and John Thornhill in Paris Published: April 28 2006

French president Jacques Chirac on Friday categorically denied any involvement in an alleged smear campaign against Nicolas Sarkozy, the interior minister and his potential successor, in a scandal that risks embarrassing his prime minister and undermining the government.

The Clearstream scandal, named after the Luxembourg-based financial house cited in corruption allegations at the heart of the affair, is spiralling into a damaging affaire d’état, tarnishing the final year of Mr Chirac’s rule and becoming a decisive issue in the battle to succeed him.

Dominique de Villepin is fighting to save his premiership after a retired senior intelligence officer accused him of lying about his role in a corruption inquiry into Mr Sarkozy, his main rival on the right in next year’s presidential elections.

Mr Chirac issued a statement yesterday denying claims he had told Mr de Villepin to launch a probe into Mr Sarkozy, their common rival. Mr Chirac said he “categorically denied having asked for the slightest inquiry targeting political personalities.”

Members of the ruling UMP party have called for a cabinet reshuffle, while speculation rises that Mr de Villepin’s job is on the line. Already weakened by his humiliating climbdown over a bungled labour reform earlier this month, his approval ratings have hit a record low.

The Clearstream scandal has exposed the personal animosity at the top of the government, with Mr Sarkozy accusing the prime minister of sitting on a secret service report that cleared his name. Underlining how the atmosphere has deteriorated at the top of the French government, Jean-Louis Debré, head of the National Assembly and a close Chirac ally, said: “Sarkozy has put a bullet in Villepin’s head. He wants to put a second one in straight away to make sure he is dead.”

On Friday, Mr de Villepin issued a statement admitting he had ordered a series of investigations into the Clearstream scandal as foreign minister, but denying allegations that he personally ordered a probe into Mr Sarkozy’s involvement.

This was contradicted yesterday by retired general Philippe Rondot, a former de Villepin ally and leading French intelligence expert. Mr Rondot told Le Monde that Mr Villepin, under “instructions” from Mr Chirac, personally ordered him to extend his probe to include Mr Sarkozy. - FTcom

Gergorin sacked in French scandal

By Peggy Hollinger in Paris Published: May 20 2006 - FT.com

The man at the centre of the raging French political scandal which threatens the premiership of Dominique de Villepin was last night sacked from his job at the partially state-owned group EADS.

The announcement from the Franco-German aerospace combine that it had launched proceedings to fire Jean-Louis Gergorin came as the former head of strategy at EADS, who is at the heart of the so-called Clearstream affair, accused Mr de Villepin of deliberately hiding information from his rival Nicolas Sarkozy, the interior minister.

Mr Gergorin, who sparked the affair with allegations of illicit financial dealings involving prominent French politicians, yesterday admitted he had sent anonymous letters listing the accusations to a senior investigating judge. Many of the transactions later proved to be false, including references to Mr Sarkozy.

In an interview in Libération newspaper, Mr Gergorin said he met his old colleague Mr de Villepin, who was then foreign minister, in January 2004 to seek support to accelerate an investigation already being carried out by the ministry of defence's intelligence services. However, Mr Gergorin says that when he suggested informing the interior ministry's secret services, Mr de Villepin replied: "Certainly not, Sarkozy will find out."

Fierce political rivalry between Mr de Villepin and Mr Sarkozy has been exposed by the scandal in which anonymous letters listed tens of thousands of allegedly illicit financial transactions involving politicians, industrialists and at least three Russian billionaires.

The prime minister and President Jacques Chirac have been accused of using the affair and the subsequent investigations for their own political ends, including tarnishing the reputations of rivals. Both have denied any involvement.

However, Mr Gergorin also cast doubt on Mr Sarkozy's claim to have been kept in the dark, saying the minister had eventually been informed of allegations against him during the investigation. Mr Gergorin argues that the political scandal roiling round his allegations has stymied any thorough investigation of his evidence.

The latest revelations in the saga prompted more sad than angry responses from some of the country's leading commentators. Robert Badinter, a socialist senator, said it demonstrated that "political responsibility has disappeared in the Republic". He criticised Mr de Villepin's involvement in an affair normally treated by the interior or defence ministries as "unusual".

Patrick Jarreau, commentator in the respected daily Le Monde, compared Clearstream to France's Dreyfus affair when information was manipulated to condemn an army officer because he was Jewish. "The management of the affair has taken over from the affair itself, in which the truth is still uncertain," he said.

The French public appear to have had enough of Clearstream. A poll by IFOP showed the scandal ranked 10th on people's list of priorities. Another from CSA showed only 17 per cent would speak of it spontaneously. Newspapers have used the daily banner headlines to boost flagging sales, with Le Monde, which has led the coverage, said to have increased its circulation by 17 per cent.

The statement announcing Mr Gergorin's sacking came from Noel Forgeard, co-head of EADS and a former industrial adviser to President Chirac.

My note: EADS is a major NATO contractor

Chaos in France gives far-right record support

By Kim Willsher LONDON SUNDAY TELEGRAPH via wash times -- May 22, 2006

PARIS -- As the French government tears itself apart amid a trumped-up corruption scandal and the Socialist opposition fails to capitalize on the chaos, Jean-Marie Le Pen, leader of the far-right National Front (FN), has gained record levels of support -- without saying a word in public.

According to a survey in the newsmagazine Le Point last week, 22 percent of the French population has a favorable opinion of Mr. Le Pen.

The rating is far higher than the 16 percent popularity that Mr. Le Pen scored in polls four years ago, just before the presidential elections in which he shocked France by beating the socialist prime minister, Lionel Jospin, in the first round of voting. He lost to Jacques Chirac in the second round, and political commentators insisted that his success was a blip that would never happen again.

"His ideas have never been so popular," said his daughter and likely successor, Marine. She is "very, very optimistic" about her father's chances in next year's presidential election.

"He will be in the second round, the only question is who he will be against," Miss Le Pen said. "It's a case of people realizing that reality is reflecting what we have been saying for the past 30 years. It is also because the political system is caving in on itself."

The swing to the extreme right has been attributed to a combination of economic gloom and series of events -- the fall rioting in the suburbs, student violence over a proposed employment law and now a dirty-tricks scandal -- that have crippled the government

Polls have shown the FN relentlessly on the rise since November's violence in the immigrant ghettos on the outskirts of France's biggest cities. In October, 8 percent of French people said they would vote for Mr. Le Pen's party. By December that had risen to 11 percent, and by February, it was 12 percent. In March, at the height of the student riots, would-be FN voters had increased to 13 percent, and in April, they were 14 percent.

Before 2002, the highest point for the FN, which was created in 1972, was in the mid-1990s, when the party took over six mayoral posts, capitalizing on increasing concerns over immigration.

Supporters think Mr. Le Pen's silence over the Clearstream dirty-tricks scandal has helped to distinguish him from the tarnished crowd.

Most critics of the French government have had a field day over the scandal, which has pitted Mr. Chirac and the prime minister, Dominique de Villepin, against Nicolas Sarkozy, the foreign minister -- all members of the same center-right party.

Mr. Le Pen has made a point of keeping out of the political mudslinging, telling friends that Clearstream is nothing more than a "sordid masquerade."

"There's no reason for me to attack these people with my little hammer when they're smashing each other up with a road drill," he said privately, according to Le Figaro newspaper.

French Suburbs Burn in Rage Again

By Ali Ihsan Aydin, Paris - Published: Thursday, June 01, 2006 zaman.com

Shaken by last October’s riots, certain suburbs in France have once again become the scene of violence.

Clashes broke out Tuesday between police and immigrant youths in Montfermeil and Clichy-sous-Bois in Paris, the flash point of the November riots.

In the clashes that continued through Wednesday night, six police officers were wounded and 13 youths detained.

The sole survivor of last fall’s electrocution of two teenagers that caused serious riots, Turkish origin Muhittin Altun was arrested on account of throwing stones at a patrol car.

Released yesterday, the 18-year-old Altun will face charges of “deliberately damaging a police vehicle.”

The incidents, according to police, broke out when a group of youngsters attacked a police vehicle on patrol in Clichy-sous-Bois; Altun was subsequently arrested.

Afterwards, about 30 youths attacked a police station in Montfermeil. Two police officers from the station were wounded and a police vehicle was torched.

Special police squads were deployed in the two suburbs as tension escalated. Around 15 vehicles were set ablaze during the incidents that continued throughout the night.

On Wednesday, French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy paid a visit to a police station in the area in support of the forces facing “masked hooligans carrying weapons”.

The head of the opposition Socialist party, Francois Hollande, criticized Sarkozy and the government by saying nothing has been fixed since last year’s riots; adding that promises have not been fulfilled. Hollande also accused Sarkozy of provoking French youth with hostile statements.