Police in France have evicted small groups of out-of-work protesters 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 20 public buildings. There were some scuffles but by and large they ended peacefully.

Long-term unemployed have been leading the protests which lasted from a few hours to a few weeks in some cases.

Lionel Jospin has limited money to help the unemployed

The action followed an announcement on Friday by the Socialist Prime Minister, Lionel Jospin, of an emergency fund for the unemployed worth over $160m (£100m).

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.

About a third of France's 3.1 million unemployed have been out of work for a year or more. The level of benefits drops sharply, the longer they are out of work.

Faced with his first serious crisis in seven months of power, Mr Jospin also said he would look into longer-term measures to ease the plight of France's jobless.

The window of an occupied building

But he made it clear that aid could not be allowed to burden the country's already stretched budget and derail economic growth.

The Government, committed to reducing the budget deficit to 3% of gross domestic product this year to prepare for European monetary union has little spare cash to throw at the problem of unemployment.

The demonstrators are planning another rally for next Tuesday.
 

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