Marching backward toward the future?

THERE IS in France an honorable, romantic tradition of going into the street to protest against the government. Much of the honor and romance, however, was earned in principled stands against a colonialist war or in solidarity with the wretched of the earth. But recent demonstrations against a new law meant to open up jobs for the 22 percent of young people in France who are unemployed has little in common with the French tradition of street protest for progressive causes.

It is true that Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin did a poor job of preparing the way for this attempt at reforming rigid French labor laws. Villepin, who is hoping to run for president next year to succeed his patron Jacques Chirac, failed properly to consult the powerful unions and student associations of France before ramming the law through the National Assembly.

Nevertheless, the intent of the law is to ameliorate the employment prospects of those young people of North African and African descent who rioted for several weeks last autumn. The unemployment rate among this sector of French youth approaches 40 percent. When they do apply for scarce full-time jobs, these would-be workers frequently face discouraging discrimination.