French students block train

PARIS – Some 2,000 angry students massed on railroad tracks in Paris on Thursday, halting international train traffic in a fresh push to force a new youth labor law off the books.

Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin refused to say whether the measure would be repealed.

Villepin spoke more clearly about his own destiny, brushing off growing speculation that he would resign.

President Jacques Chirac “gave me a mission, and this mission, I will lead it to the end,” Villepin said. “All the rest is pure speculation and fantasy.”

Calling for calm, he said he was listening to the voices of discontent over his reform aimed at denting sky-high joblessness among youth by making it easier for employers to hire and fire younger workers. Lawmakers from the governing Union for a Popular Movement met for a second day with unions and students in search of a way out. Protesters are demanding that the measure be withdrawn.

“The immediate priority, as we all know, is restoring calm,” Villepin said. “It is time to get out of the crisis.”

The law originally provided for a two-year trial period during which employers could fire youths under 26 without cause, a measure meant to spur hiring. Protesters say it would make young employees disposable.

Stepping up wildcat disruptions, students set up a pre-dawn blockade Thursday that halted a convoy of parts for the Airbus A380 jumbo jet, the world’s largest airliner and the crown jewel of European aviation.

Students paralyzed all train traffic at the Gare du Nord station in Paris for nearly two hours, blocking trains to and from London, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany. Some 200 police in riot gear moved the protesters out, allowing thousands of passengers to start their travels.

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