The strike against France's new employment law began peacefully today, with more than a million people taking part in marches across the country. Airlines had to cancel a third of their flights; trains and the Paris Metro were also curtailed.

But late in the day, after the march in Paris reached the large Place d'Italie, young men began throwing stones, tearing street signs, and scuffling with plainclothes police. Scores were arrested.

For two months, students and trade unions have been staging demonstrations against the bill, which is intended to encourage the hiring of people under 26 by letting employers dismiss them without cause during their first two years on the job.

President Jacques Chirac told a televised audience last Friday he would sign the bill, despite the protests, because it would help France compete in a globalized economy. But he did order two key changes to soften it: He reduced the trial period on the job for younger workers from two years to one, and said employers must give reasons for terminating them.

The protestors are demanding the law be scrapped entirely because it would loosen labor and social protections that have been guaranteed for generations.