Protesters targeting police, French PM laments

French Prime Ministers Manuel Valls has called on protesters to call off demonstrations against labour law reforms saying the expected turn-out was waning with miscreants mounting violence as “people who want to kill a cop” were hijacking legitimate protests to attack police.

“Union leaders need to live up to their responsibilities,” Manuel Valls said. “If rioters turn up at each and every protest it’s time to ask whether some of these protests are worth it,” he said in a radio interview on a new day of demonstrations.

The on-going violence has seen more than 300 hurt and protesters have complained of injuries sustained in seemingly isolated cases of police brutality.

Read also: Bombings in Baghdad leave 70 dead, 100 wounded

Thus far, the government says about 1,300 arrests have been made during weeks of protests which have been joined by a youth movement called Nuit Debout (Night Rising).

Only yesterday, there were demonstrations by police seeking to vent their frustration over the stress produced by near daily clashes with gangs of violent youths on the fringes of the anti-reform movement.

Also truckers maintained blockades set up in a bid to strangle deliveries in and out of fuel and food distribution depots while Brittany Ferries announced mass cancellations of connections between Britain and northern France as port workers also joined in the industrial action.

RipplesNigeria …without borders, without fears

Join the conversation

Opinions

Support Ripples Nigeria, hold up solutions journalism

Balanced, fearless journalism driven by data comes at huge financial costs.

As a media platform, we hold leadership accountable and will not trade the right to press freedom and free speech for a piece of cake.

If you like what we do, and are ready to uphold solutions journalism, kindly donate to the Ripples Nigeria cause.

Your support would help to ensure that citizens and institutions continue to have free access to credible and reliable information for societal development.

Donate Now