Youth worker protests spread to Sweden

A report from Sweden, where the French youth revolt has inspired local opposition to proposed youth labour reforms.

Submitted by alibi on March 29, 2006

The Chairman of the Swedish liberal party Centerpartiet, Maud Olofsson, recently proclaimed that Sweden should introduce new youth labour laws. She openly admitted that she has been directly inspired by French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepins controversial French CPE law.

Centerpartiet could very well be in a government position, after the Swedish elections which are set to take place in September together with other liberal and conservative parties of the right. Then this law would become a fact.

Early Tuesday morning, workers in Gothenburg, Sweden smashed several windows on the Centerpartiet local office. Windows also got shattered at the French Consulate in support for the struggle in France by some people connected with the anarchist-inspired Invisible Party.

On Tuesday evening about 500 people, youths and workers, gathered at the central plaza in Stockholm to demonstrate against the Centerpartiet attack on worker rights and in solidarity with the youth revolt in France.

The demonstration marched towards the Franch embassy while demonstrators shouted slogans that this was only the beginning for people in France and Sweden. When the demonstration reached the embassy a line of police horses blocked the path of demonstration, but the were forced to retreat as the demonstration defended itself with rotten eggs and snowballs. The demonstration then turned back and marched towards the Old City and the main office of Centerpartiet.

Along the route windows of banks and governments building where smashed, as well as windows of the Centerpartiet office. Shortly after that the demonstration dispersed itself. The police where unable to make any arrests. Even though several journalists attended to the demonstration, mainstream media has not written a word about the protest.

* Yesterday in Copenhagen, 200 protested in front of the French embassy in solidarity with French youths. Last week a similar show of solidarity took place in Dublin, Ireland.

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