Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis has joined an anti-labor reform rally in Paris. He lashed out at the French president, accusing Hollande of trying to devalue labor with the new reform.
The ex-minister addressed a large crowd of Nuit Debout (Stand Up At Night) rally participants in central Paris.
“Devaluing French labor can only deepen the crisis... I'm bringing to you solidarity from Athens,” he told the demonstration.
Varoufakis drew a parallel between the Paris rallies and the anti-austerity protest in Syntagma Square in Athens in 2011 during the Greek crisis.
“They [the authorities] tell us we occupy squares, but they are trying to privatize everything,” he added.
French people, mostly students have been rallying for more than a month against labor law reforms recently proposed by Labor Minister Myriam El Khomri.
The authorities are desperately trying to battle high unemployment and have suggested cutting overtime pay for work beyond 35 hours. Employers would pay only 10 percent of overtime bonus, instead of the current 25 percent, according to the proposed reforms.
The French protests went under the hashtag #LoiTravail (Labor Law) and #NuitDebout (Rise Up At Night), a movement in France that stands against capitalism and the ‘not-so-leftist’ policy of Hollande.
The recent rallies have taken a violent turn. On Thursday, riot police deployed tear gas and pepper spray to disperse hundreds of protesters in Paris.
Earlier in April, demonstrations involving violent clashes and dozens of arrests were held across the country . Several journalists, including some from RT, were injured during the unrest.