French govt. reverses ban on labor protest in Paris

The French government has lifted a ban on a planned protest march against unpopular labor reforms in the capital, Paris, only a few hours after the imposition of the prohibition.

Philippe Martinez, the head of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT) union, which is leading the rallies in the European country, said on Wednesday that the government gave the go-ahead for the rally scheduled for Thursday.

"After tough talks with the interior minister, the union and student organizations obtained the right to demonstrate," Martinez said, describing the U-turn as a "victory for the unions and for democracy.”

The government had earlier cited security concerns in denying permission for the Thursday demonstration, organized by seven unions and student groups.

French police had insisted on a stationary event in order to have better control on it.

However, during Wednesday’s negotiations, the two sides finally agreed on a shorter 1.6 kilometer (one-mile) alternative route proposed by the Interior Ministry near the center of Paris.

French President Francois Hollande had threatened the ban after the violence reached a peak in Paris last week, just four days after the start of the Euro 2016 soccer tournament, which is expected to attract around two million foreign visitors.

On June 14, several hundred masked protesters in Paris hurled projectiles at police, who fired dozens of rounds of tear gas and used water cannons to disperse the crowd.

Dozens of protesters were arrested during the scuffles while a total of 40 were injured, among them 29 members of security forces. Three cars were also burned on the city streets.

Over the past few months, France has been witnessing violent demonstrations and industrial actions over the Socialist government’s changes to the labor law.

Paris says the proposed labor reforms focus on maximum working hours, holidays and breaks, and are aimed at curbing the unemployment rate.

Demonstrators and trade unions, however, say the government wants to make it easier and less costly for employers to lay off workers.

The draft labor bill was recently forced through the lower house of parliament, but it must be debated in the Senate for final approval.

French officials have rejected calls to withdraw the labor reforms and vowed to stand firm on the unpopular measures.

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