Motorist strikes protesting students in Paris

updated 11:30 a.m. ET April 7, 2006

PARIS - A motorist drove through a crowd of students protesting the government’s new youth jobs law Friday near the Sorbonne University, injuring seven people.

Furious demonstrators overturned the car and tried to kick its windows out, while police in riot gear and helmets worked to disperse the crowd.

The incident came after high school students spent the afternoon disrupting traffic outside the Sorbonne by picnicking on a busy boulevard. They were heading away when a frustrated motorist tried to burst through the crowd.

Several dozen youths turned the car over and unsuccessfully attempted to drag the driver out before police and onlookers intervened.

Firefighters said seven people suffered light injuries.

French students have been protesting for weeks over a new law that will make it easier for companies to hire and fire people under age 26. While most demonstrations have been peaceful, some have seen violence from a radical fringe.

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