French Protests turn violent

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French Protests Turn Violent
(TV3 News 2010)
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http://www.tv3.ie/videos.php?video=28310&locID=1.2.&date=2010-1019&date_mode=&page=2&show_cal=1&newspanel=&showspanel=&web_only=&full_episodes
Protests against pension reform in France turned violent today. Almost half a million people took
to the streets as petrol stations ran dry, schools closed and travels badly disrupted.
Police used tear gas as they clashed with youths in this Paris suburb. The violent scenes were replicated
in cities across France as thousands took to the streets in protest over plans to raise the retirement age
from sixty to sixty-two.
A series of strikes have led to fuel shortages with long queues forming at the petrol stations that haven’t
already run dry.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy said he wouldn’t back down on pension reform and that public order
would be kept.
Here at home, a number of flights were cancelled today because of the strikes. This group of French
tourists were supposed to fly home out of Dublin Airport today, but have now been told it could be next
week before they get on a flight.
- It’s impossible to have to stay one week here, we have to work tomorrow, so we are very, very in
trouble.
- Are you annoyed ?
- Very annoyed, yes. Because of the damned strikes in French.
Ryanair alone has had to cancel two hundred flights across Europe today as a result of the French strikes.
So far this year the airline has had to cancel almost two thousand flights because of industrial unrest in
Spain, France and Belgium.
Despite fierce opposition, the raising of the retirement age is expected to pass a vote in the French Senate
later this week.
Brian O’Donovan, TV3 News
Vocabulary
1. Protests
2. pension reform
3. turned violent
4. took to the streets
5. petrol stations run dry
6. disrupted
7. tear gas
8. as they clashed with youths
9. replicated
10. to raise
11. have led to
les protestations / manifestations
la réforme des retraites
sont devenues violentes
sont descendus dans les rues
deviennent à sec
perturbés
gaz lacrymogène (tear = larme)
s’affrontraient avec des jeunes
se sont reproduites
augmenter
ont mené à
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12. fuel shortages
13. back down
14. would be kept
15. because of
16. (they) have now been told
17. we are very, very in trouble*
18. annoyed
19. damned
20. strikes in French*
21. industrial unrest
22. despite fierce opposition
des pénuries de carburant
reculer / revenir sur sa position
serait maintenu
à cause de
on leur a maintenant annoncé que
correction = we are really in trouble
énervé
(fam.) ces p***** de grèves
correction = France
contestation des salariés
malgré une opposition violente