Union activists protesting Air France's proposal to lay off thousands of its workers stormed the company's headquarters in Paris during a meeting about the job cuts on Monday and tore off the clothes of two senior executives, forcing the executives to climb a fence and flee under police protection.
Media at the scene report seeing about a hundred activists rush the building after tearing down a gate. Following the chaos that ensued, two high-level officials, human resources chief Xavier Broseta and Pierre Plissonnier fled, one bare-chested and the other with the top of his suit in tatters, according to the Wall Street Journal.
"These attacks were made by isolated and particularly violent individuals as the demonstration by personnel on strike was going on calmly," Air France said in a statement.
The impetus for the protest started when Alexandre de Junia, CEO of Air France-KLM, announced Friday that the company would have to cut jobs after failing to reach an agreement with pilots. On Monday, media, citing the unions, reported the proposal was to slash 2,900 jobs - including 300 pilots, 900 flight attendants and 1,700 ground staff, according to Bloomberg.
Under the new plan, the company also aims to close long-haul routes to Asia and will cancel orders for Boeing 787 jetliners, reducing its fleet to 93 planes.
Air France said it will file a complaint for aggravated violence, according to the Associated Press.
Labor relations in France are known for being strained, with unions sometimes going so far as to hold managers hostage to make a point.
The government, which holds a 17 percent stake in the company, has come out in support of the management, with Economy Minister Emmanual Macron condemning the violence as "irresponsible," and vowed "total support" to those who were attacked.
