Student protests in France continued for the tenth day, with school blockades and marches in many cities across the country.
The students say they are determined to continue their struggle, protesting the poor state of the education system, while clashes with police have left hundreds injured.
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Bordeaux in France’s sixth division
Mass demonstrations in many French cities
Large rallies took place on Thursday—mostly peaceful—in cities such as Lille, Rennes, Nantes, Lyon, Toulon, and Marseille. In Paris, a large march made its way through the city center toward the Place de la Bastille.
According to estimates, approximately 25,000 students gathered in the square, located in the eastern part of the French capital. Some climbed the monument in the center of the square, dedicated to the July Revolution of 1830, waving French flags and singing “La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem.
As night fell, law enforcement used tear gas and special projectiles to disperse the crowd, while carrying out repeated charges with batons, attempting to drive the protesters away. Some of the remaining protesters threw bottles, rocks from the road, and other objects at the heavily armored police forces.
Elian, 16, who took part in the march in Paris, said she was at the demonstration to “defend and encourage high schools that are in an even worse situation than mine,” describing the mobilization as “wonderful.” As she noted, she intends to continue protesting until there is substantial progress.
The government announces new hires and support for schools
The Minister of Education, Édouard Zéphé, stated Thursday evening on the TF1 television network that 3,000 substitute teachers will be assigned to approximately 100 high schools, where particularly severe staff shortages have been identified. According to him, the assignments will take place from tomorrow through Tuesday.
The minister added that he will also approve the hiring of “several hundred” new teachers.
For his part, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced that the government will propose amendments to the 2027 budget, in order to translate some of the students’ demands into concrete measures, particularly regarding filling the vacancies created when teachers are absent.
Students are demanding specific commitments
The students had previously expressed their dissatisfaction with the government’s response, which they consider inadequate.
Riad Rani, president of a high school student union, stated that the protesters have not heard “any concrete measures whatsoever, no response to our demands.” As he made clear, the movement will continue.
Sabrine Kharbach, a member of another student union, noted that the protests are focused on teacher shortages, long school hours, and neglected school buildings.
As she stated, the protests will continue “until 10 billion euros have been allocated,” an amount that students and some left-wing politicians argue must be invested immediately in France’s schools.
According to an Elabe poll for BFMTV, 72% of French people consider the students’ demands justified, while 55% believe the protests should stop.
Meanwhile, the unions have called for a new nationwide day of protests next Tuesday, in a show of support for the students.
More than 71,000 people took to the streets
The Ministry of Education announced that the number of high schools forced to close was lower than in previous days. On Thursday morning, 224 schools remained closed, while by noon that number had dropped to 157. This means that approximately 95% of the country’s high schools were operating at least partially.
However, according to the Ministry of the Interior, more than 71,000 protesters took part in Thursday’s demonstrations.
During the protests, which are supported by many teachers, parents, and labor unions, new clashes with police broke out around barricades set up outside schools in Paris.
In Rennes, police used water cannons to disperse the protesters.
Allegations of Police Violence
One of the key messages on the students’ banners and signs concerned the police’s harsh response to the protests.
“Too young for them to listen to us, but old enough to be hit with tear gas,” read a banner at the Paris march.
Over the past two weeks, some protesters have set fire to trash cans outside schools, damaged bus stops, and thrown objects at law enforcement officers. The police have responded by using batons, tear gas, and special riot control projectiles.
Since the protests began, at least 215 teenagers, 89 school employees, and 761 police officers have been injured.
The protests were sparked by chronic teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, dilapidated school buildings, and long school hours.
On Wednesday, the government suspended the police’s use of stun grenades following the serious injury of a teenager, whose hand was severed by an explosion.
At the same time, the government described the use of the term “police crackdown” as excessive and denied that police officers had been ordered to “clash” with the young protesters.
Pressure on the government amid budget constraints
The protests are putting pressure on the government, which is facing demands from citizens for greater investment in public services, while the markets are pressuring France to curb its growing budget deficit and high public debt, which is among the highest in the European Union.
Economy Minister Roland Leskir stated this week that there is room to meet demands for more funding for education through the 2027 budget.
In the current draft budget, education has the second-largest increase in funding after defense, with a 1.4% rise, bringing related spending to 90.9 billion euros.
The political showdown ahead of the presidential election
With six months to go until the crucial presidential election to select Emmanuel Macron’s successor, politicians from across the political spectrum are attempting to capitalize politically on the protests.
The leader of the French far right, Marine Le Pen, has highlighted the damage to school buildings, arguing that the cost of repairs should be borne by parents.
On the other hand, the leader of the radical Left, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has called the protesters “incredible” and has denounced police violence.
Source: iefimerida.gr
