The Anti-CPE Uproar in Lyons

From Reuters comes this short article. The picture was taken March 18, 2006 by REUTERS/Robert Pratta. Note that they are children. They are holding signs calling Dominique de Villepin an idiot (espèce de crétin). Demonstrating in the streets is a French tradition and they start young.

Confrontations in the streets of Lyons pitted Turkish demonstrators against hundreds of young anti-CPE activists among whom were members of the Armenian community.

The Turks, who numbered 2,500, from the districts of the Rhône-Alpes according to the police, were there to voice their oppostion to the construction of an Armenian memorial in downtown Lyons.

Brandishing a sea of Turkish flags and signs reading "There was no Armenian genocide" and "No memorial to a false genocide", they clashed with those present at the end of the anti-CPE rally, also downtown, near Place Bellecour.

"Fascists", "negationists", "go home", hurled back the anti-CPE demonstrators, who included a number of Armenians.

The presence of security forces and the cordoning off by the police did not prevent confrontations between the two groups who engaged in fist-fights and the use of various projectiles. They only dispersed after being doused with water by the police.

Update from Tiberge: It seems that tear gaz was used, not just water.