French police end jobless protest

Police in France have evicted the small groups of out-of-work protestors, whose month-long occupation of benefits offices in several parts of the country won prominence for their campaign against record French unemployment.

Co-ordinated police raids began just before dawn on up to twenty public buildings and their action was condemned by protest leaders as too rough.

It follows the announcement yesterday by the Socialist prime minister, Lionel Jospin, of a one-billion franc emergency fund for the unemployed, worth one-hundred-and-seventy-million dollars.

Protest leaders rejected the announcement as inadequate, and are organising a national demonstration on Tuesday.

Their demands include greater support for the long-term unemployed.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service