The French know how to protest, while Americans fall asleep at the wheel.
PARIS —
Up to three million people took to the streets of France on Thursday for a second round of protests against President Nicolas Sarkozy's handling of the economic crisis and to demand more help for struggling workers.
The rallies, which polls say are backed by three-quarters of the French public, reflect growing disillusion with Sarkozy's reforms as tens of thousands jobs are lost to the downturn.
Several hundred youths clashed briefly with police at the end of the main union rally in Paris, highlighting the tensions in France, which has a long tradition of public demonstrations.
Spring sunshine helped Thursday's turnout, which unions said easily exceeded the numbers seen on a first day of nationwide protests staged on Jan. 29.
Streets in central Paris were packed with protesters waving anti-Sarkozy placards and chanting slogans, with badges reading "Get lost you little jerk!," a comment made by Sarkozy to a protestor at an agriculture show, much in evidence.
More than two million people are out of work in France and even many with a job struggle with the high cost of living.
Sarkozy, elected in 2007 on a pledge to shake up the French economy, has seen his approval ratings plunge as he has poured billions into bailing out banks and carmakers, but rejected union demands for higher pay and tax hikes for the rich.
