France's Socialist government on Wednesday gave the go-ahead for a Paris march against its hotly-contested labour reforms, reversing a ban announced just hours earlier. "After tough talks with the interior minister, the union and student organisations obtained the right to demonstrate," Philippe Martinez of the far-left CGT union told a news conference.
He called the U-turn a "victory for the unions and for democracy". The government had earlier cited security concerns in denying permission for the march scheduled for Thursday, drawing fire from across the political spectrum. The march will be the 10th in a wave of protests against the labour reforms that kicked off in March, with many descending into violence, notably in Paris and the western cities of Nantes and Rennes.
President Francois Hollande had threatened the ban after the violence reached a peak in Paris on June 14, just four days after the start of the Euro 2016 football tournament in France. The government initially insisted on a stationary demonstration, saying it would be easier to control, but the seven unions and student groups organising the demo dug in their heels for a march.
The two sides finally agreed on a shorter 1.6 kilometre (one-mile) alternative route proposed by the interior ministry. Last Tuesday's violence saw hundreds of masked protesters and police fighting running street battles. Police used water cannon to quell rioters who hurled projectiles at them and bashed in storefronts, with 40 people hurt and dozens arrested. Political reaction to the proposed ban had been swift, with Socialist MP Christian Paul, who heads the left flank of Hollande's party in parliament, condemning it as a "historic error" and far-right leader Marine Le Pen calling it a "serious violation of democracy".
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