A picnic by student protesters held in the middle of a busy Paris boulevard turned violent Friday when a frustrated motorist burst through the crowd, injuring 10. Outraged students set upon the driver, overturning his car before police stepped in.The scene in the Latin Quarter highlighted the increasing unruliness of college and high school students leading protests against a new jobs law for youths. But spring break, which starts this weekend, may succeed where politicians have failed in ending the protests. With Alpine ski slopes and Mediterranean beaches calling, high school students in particular say they will have to stop their protests to vacation with mom and dad. "I'm sorry to say so, but I think the movement is going to lose steam," said Elies Alexandre, one of about 200 high school students taking part in Friday's violence-marred sit-in near the Sorbonne University, which has been closed for a month. "Most people are going on vacation with their parents," said the 15-year-old, who leaves this weekend for a family holiday in Italy.
Students more keen to protest than study have been at the forefront of the standoff with the government over a law that was designed to spur the hirings of youths under 26 by making it easier for companies to fire them. The law was meant, above all, to help those less qualified get a first job, but city students led the protests.