Scores arrested, many wounded in France as anti-labor reform rallies turn violent

Scores have been arrested and several others wounded as violence erupted across France during protests against new labor rules which make layoffs easier.

In Paris, riot police fired tear gas and water canon to disperse the crowd after a group of youths threw projectiles and stones. Scuffles also broke out in western towns of Nantes and Rennes and also in Toulouse, Grenoble and Montpelier.

15 police officials were wounded during the rallies across the country with two suffering serious injuries, French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.

Denouncing "unacceptable violence," Cazeneuve added 62 individuals have been arrested with 32 of them placed under custody.

Police said between 12,500 and 13,500 protesters gathered in Paris, while the national turnout was at 78,000. Trade union said 40,000 demonstrated in the capital and 170,000 in other French cities.

"We won't give up the fight. We're not going to have another wave of demonstrations but there are other ways of fighting the labour law," Jean-Claude Mailly, head of the Force Ouvriere union, told French public TV channel France 2.

Under high pressure to reduce unemployment, French President Francois Hollande proposed to reform the strictly codified labor rules by offering more flexibility for enterprises to hire and fire.

The reform, approved in July, also include reducing overtime pay and economic redundancies, and making working hours and holidays open to negotiation.

However, critics say such reform would create more low-paid jobs and further weaken the pay. Endit