Paris - Police in the French capital were trying to redeem themselves yesterday after the shopkeepers and cafe owners of the Place de la Nation cursed their absence during two hours of vandalism and looting on Thursday, writes Lara Marlowe.Small student demonstrations continued across France yesterday and the lyceens and two teachers' unions have announced another national day of protest for better conditions on Tuesday. The police estimated that 500,000 students marched in 350 French towns on Thursday, a phenomenal turnout, six times that of protests earlier in the week.
The rioters numbered at most 1,000, but Thursday's violence, in which five people were seriously injured, may frighten students and teachers from marching next week. A Paris policemen's union expressed its concern at "demonstrations of a new type, where young people and even children participate in riots".