Though the Paris Motor Show is nearing its end, furor at the venue is actually heating up. Demonstrators have lined outside the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles to protest against further austerity measures in the country. An enormous group of at approximately 1,000 demonstrators, the movement includes many workers from a PSA Peugeot Citroen plant was recently scheduled for closure. Other protesters include workers that have recently experienced significant pay cuts or job cuts from other struggling manufacturers.
With the unemployment rate exceeding 10 percent, many of the French are living with extended financial anxieties. In fact, tension is running so high that demonstrators are even expressing their anger physically and joined the protest armed with eggs and flour to attack authorities. Suppressing the demonstration, Paris police fired teargase outside of the Paris Motor Show today.
As it stands, French regulators and lawmakers are crafting a plan that will decide whether or not the country will abide by the European Union agreement, which requires France to balance its finances to slow the spiraling EU economic crisis. Despite the gravity of Europe's situation, austerity measures in France are wildly unpopular, making it the main issue among the labor protests.
A long on-going issue, austerity measures were one of the leading reasons that drove former President Nicolas Sarkozy from his office. Taking over the driver's seat is Socialist President Francois Hollande, who promises a new strategy that will tackle the French deficit without an austerity measure that risks limiting growth.
[Source: Autoblog]
