A French CRS riot police is evacuated during clashes with French high school and university students during a demonstration against the French labour law proposal in Paris, France, as part of a nationwide labor reform protests and strikes, March 31, 2016.
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On Tuesday, police in central Paris fired tear gas at protesters during a day of national protest against the labor reforms.
The government argues the changes will make the notoriously rigid labour market more flexible, but which opponents say will erode job security.
The president also promised tougher action against troublemakers who have infiltrated street protests against the reforms, damaged property and provoked confrontation with riot police.
Mr Hollande said 1,000 people have been arrested and more than 300 police injured during the clashes over recent months.
While some chanted “Everybody hates the police” and “Police everywhere, justice nowhere”, French media said up to 15 youths attacked a police auto with iron bars before throwing a petrol bomb at the vehicle.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said on Twitter that Hollande’s announcement of the delay was “further evidence of the failure of the (peace settlement) option and the project of (Palestinian president) Mahmud Abbas”.
A rail strike has disrupted local and national train traffic in France, but not worldwide lines.
France’s economy has stagnated for years after successive governments tried reforms but failed. The government insists that the reform would also reduce unemployment, which now hovers at around 10 percent.
France’s police chief said ahead of a week of tension that a small group of hardline protesters had been banned from the streets of Paris.
President Francois Hollande stood firm, saying on radio that the law – a flagship reform that would make hiring and firing easier – would not be scrapped, and warning that police would not tolerate violence.
The Paris rally took place in Place de la Republique, the focal point for the youth-driven “Up All Night” movement that emerged out of the protests against the Socialist government’s controversial labour reforms.
France’s DGAC aviation authority has warned of disruption at many airports and a 15% cut in services at Paris Orly on Thursday.
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Strikes at the country’s airports and sea ports are scheduled for Thursday.
