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Paris police want anti-labour reform march scrapped

Paris police have called on unions to scrap plans for a march against the government's proposed labour reform on Thursday and hold a rally in one place instead. Earlier the organisers said they intended to go ahead with the demonstration despite a call from government leaders to call the whole thing off because of violence during previous protests.

Masked youths face French police on 14 June demonstration against the labour reform
Masked youths face French police on 14 June demonstration against the labour reform Reuters/Philippe Wojazer
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The seven unions and youth organisations fighting Labour Minister Myriam El Khomri's bill asked for permission to march on 23 June last Thursday, representatives confirmed on Monday, adding that they had proposed a shorter march than usual to facilitate security.

Paris police on Monday proposed that they hold a "static rally instead of the declared itinerary" between Place de la Bastille and Place de la Nation.

The unions stood by their initial demand on Monday afternoon.

Calls on Hollande to ban protests

Right-wing MP Jean-François Copé on Monday called on President François Hollande to carry out his threat to ban the demonstration and another planned for 28 June "because in reality we have arrived at such a level of violence that we cannot take a new risk".

Copé indicated that he believed the CGT might have links to the vandals who have attacked police, shops and ATMs.

After violence on a demonstration on 14 June, during which windows at a children's hospital were broken, Hollande threatened to ban future protests if the safety of "property and people" could not be "guaranteed".

On Sunday Prime Minister Manuel Valls called on the organisers to cancel the protests because of "the violence that has taken place, the odious attack on the couple of police officers [who were murdered at their home on 13 June] but also the Euro [2016 football tournament]".

"Every time the prime minister intervenes, speaks in the media, he behaves like an arsonist instead of calming the situation," Jean-Claude Mailly of the FO union commented on Monday.

Demonstrations already banned

Although the French revolution's declaration of human rights and the European human rights convention both guarantee the right to demonstrate, they allow for curtailment in the event of a threat to public order.

Organisers who defy a ban can be punished with up to six months in jail and fines of up to 7,500 euros.

Participants can be fined 11 euros.

After the 13 November Paris attacks some demonstrations were forbidden during the Cop21 climate change conference.

Individual activists were also forbidden to participate in them, as were several during the more recent labour law protests, although courts overturned nine out of 10 of those bans.

Police in Calais also banned demonstrations by the anti-migrant Pegida movement, as well as one by pro-migrant left-wingers, in February and May this year.

Majority oppose labour reform bill

The latest opinion poll showed 67 percent of respondents opposed to the government's labour reform this weekend, although 54 percent believed that they had not been sufficiently well informed on what it actually means.

As well as next Thursday's demonstration, a further protest is planned for 28 June.

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