40 injured in French labour reform protests

Protests in Paris over a French labour reform bill have turned violent, leaving at least 40 people injured, including 29 police officers, and 58 arrests, international reports claim.

The protests had brought some 75,000 demonstrators to the capital, as the upper house of parliament debated changes to employment laws.

The reform makes it easier for employers to hire and fire workers, with the aim that more companies decide to hire workers if they know they can lay off employees in the event of a downturn. Other proposed changes include making the 35-hour week an average and allowing firms to negotiate with local trade unions on more or fewer hours from week to week, up to a maximum of 46 hours. Under the proposed changes, employers will also have more freedom to reduce pay, or to get more leeway to negotiate holidays and leave.

The BBC reports that the clashes in Paris involved "several hundred masked people", who threw chunks of paving, set bins ablaze and smashed some shop windows, prompting police to respond with tear gas and water cannon.

Students and several unions organised protests across the country, part of weeks of industrial action, with rail workers and taxi drivers on strike, as well as the staff manning the Eiffel Tower, leading to the landmark being closed for this period.

The unrest coincided with the Euro 2016 football championship - a major challenge for French police, marred already by violence among fans.

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said he could "no longer bear the attacks against the police".

He called on protesters "to find within themselves a little humanity, tolerance and respect".

Demonstrations against the reform bill began on 9 March and led to a massive demonstration on 31 March, when nearly 400,000 people came out in protest across France.