French Police Fire Tear Gas at Labor Protesters in Paris

 French Police Fire Tear Gas at Labor¹ Protesters in Paris

French riot police fired tear gas Tuesday at hundreds of protesters trying to storm a Paris auto² show, during nationwide protests over mounting job losses in a moribund³ economy with 10 percent unemployment.

Thousands of other demonstrators marched in Lyon, while operations the ports of Le Havre and Marseille were disrupted.

The protests, organized by a national confederation of trade unions, came as the number of French unemployed⁴ topped 3 million for the first time in 13 years.  CGT Union leader Bernard Thibault, who openly called for the defeat of former President Nicolas Sarkozy, says the economy has not improved since Socialist⁵ President Francois Hollande took office earlier this year.

Mr. Hollande campaigned against international demands to cut public spending with tactics he said unfairly targeted workers.  Analysts say he is now caught between those cost-cutting demands, and those of his core union supporters.

Unions were also protesting Tuesday's ratification⁶ by the French parliament of a European fiscal⁷ treaty that stiffens⁸ penalties for countries that overspend. 

A key poll published last week in Figaro Magazine showed Mr. Hollande's support tumbling to 41 percent, a record low for a president six months into his tenure⁹.  The same TNS-Sofres survey showed support for Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault dropping 10 points to 41 percent.

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

3 moribund   

adj.即将结束的，垂死的

参考例句：

• The moribund Post Office Advisory Board was replaced.这个不起作用的邮局顾问委员会已被替换。
• Imperialism is monopolistic,parasitic and moribund capitalism.帝国主义是垄断的、寄生的、垂死的资本主义。

4 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

5 socialist   

n.社会主义者；adj.社会主义的

参考例句：

• China is a socialist country,and a developing country as well.中国是一个社会主义国家，也是一个发展中国家。
• His father was an ardent socialist.他父亲是一个热情的社会主义者。

6 ratification   

n.批准，认可

参考例句：

• The treaty is awaiting ratification.条约正等待批准。
• The treaty is subject to ratification.此条约经批准后才能生效。

7 fiscal   

adj.财政的，会计的，国库的，国库岁入的

参考例句：

• The increase of taxation is an important fiscal policy.增税是一项重要的财政政策。
• The government has two basic strategies of fiscal policy available.政府有两个可行的财政政策基本战略。

8 stiffens   

（使）变硬，（使）强硬( stiffen的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Heating the foam stiffens it and forms it. 暖气泡沫stiffens它和形式。
• He stiffens in momentary panic. 他心里一阵惊慌，浑身不自在起来。

9 tenure   

n.终身职位；任期；(土地)保有权，保有期

参考例句：

• He remained popular throughout his tenure of the office of mayor.他在担任市长的整个任期内都深得民心。
• Land tenure is a leading political issue in many parts of the world.土地的保有权在世界很多地区是主要的政治问题。