Security forces responded with tear gas Thursday as French students protesting proposed labour reforms hurled bottles at riot police in Paris and the western city of Nantes, reports FRANCE 24.
The reforms, which were significantly watered down under pressure from a wave of protests, were adopted earlier Thursday by the cabinet of an increasingly unpopular President François Hollande, who hopes to stand for re-election next year
"Young and insurgent, the world is ours" read one banner as hundreds gathered at Place d'Italie in the south of the French capital, where riot police used tear gas after students threw bottles and emptied a rubbish bin over some officers.
A protest in Nantes also turned violent as students hurled bottles at security forces who used tear gas and truncheons against the youths, making nine arrests, police said.
Students have been at the forefront of protests over the reforms aimed at freeing up the job market and reining in France's 10 percent unemployment rate.
Among youths, joblessness is nearer to 25 percent – among the highest in Europe.
The youths, along with unions and the left flank of Hollande's Socialist Party, say the reforms are too pro-business and threaten hallowed workers' rights.
One of Thursday's protesters in Paris was dressed as a capitalist, wearing a top hat and smoking a cigar with a sign reading "Business, power, finance – all together!"
Some 58 percent of the French people oppose the measures, according to a recent poll.
Prime minister Manuel Valls has touted the reforms as "intelligent, audacious and necessary", in particular for reversing unemployment, which has not dropped below seven percent in 30 years.