On Sunday, the French Ministry of the Interior announced the arrest of more than 770 people during the weekend protests, the day after hundreds of thousands demonstrated against the sharp rise in prices and unequal opportunities.
The ministry said that no “major incidents” had been recorded late Saturday evening, noting that 779 people had been arrested across the country, according to Agence France-Presse.
Yesterday (Saturday), hundreds of thousands demonstrated across France, including high school students and university students, in the third wave of protests the country is witnessing over the weekend.
In a related context, the leader of a student movement announced the resumption of the closure of secondary schools starting Monday in France, indicating that the government proposals did not meet the aspirations of the protesters who are demanding better educational conditions in the country. On Saturday, hundreds of thousands demonstrated across France, including high school students and university students, in the third wave of protests the country has witnessed over the weekends. Starting Monday, the day students return from a two-week school holiday, access to some secondary schools will be blocked, according to what Pierre Sorza, leader of the “Lyciennes!” group, said. He indicated on the radio of “Radio Monte Carlo” that the movement “will increase momentum starting Tuesday, but we know that some schools will be closed starting tomorrow.” He added: “We support all our comrades who are blocking access to their schools starting tomorrow.”
On Monday, the government announced a series of measures in response to the demands of the demonstrators, including replacing the university guidance platform and providing loans to renovate schools, and the students, for their part, felt that these measures were insufficient. On Saturday, Sabrina Kharbash, spokeswoman for the French Student Union and the Federation of Secondary School Students, told reporters during a protest march in Paris: “On Tuesday, we will close our universities and high schools, and we will repeat that on Thursday, before we join the demonstration scheduled for November 5, which was called for by workers and trade unions.” French President Emmanuel Macron, for his part, called for the resumption of education in schools in a calm atmosphere, stressing that “the voice of the youth has been heard.”
However, for his part, Sorza saw that “the president did not listen to us,” noting, “It is an evasion... and it contains some polishing, but if we delve deeper, there is nothing real.” Sorza pointed out that the proposed reform of the university guidance platform, which has been criticized for its lack of transparency, does not respond to the lack of opportunities available in higher education. He also believed that the government's plan to reduce the number of students in grades is insufficient, indicating that it will not apply until the tenth grade. He stressed: “Our demands are for all age groups.” The government's scope for action in France, which is the second largest economy in the Eurozone on the verge of plunging into recession and under great pressure to contain its debt, appears limited to respond to students' demands through additional funding.
Portuguese riot police raided camps set up by protesters in Lisbon and Porto in the early hours of Sunday morning, arresting 13 people, in the latest confrontation between police and demonstrators protesting the housing crisis.
At approximately 4:30 am, police stormed the camp in Rossio Square in Lisbon and another smaller camp in Dom João I Square in Porto, according to what Agence France-Presse reported.
The protesters chanted: “The smell of dictatorship is wafting,” while the police said that their officers were pelted with bottles and paint while trying to dismantle the tents.
The police announced in a statement the arrest of six people in Lisbon and seven in Porto for refusing to comply with orders to disperse the protest, noting that 13 of its members were injured and eight of them were taken to hospital.
In Porto, the police said that three of its officers in civilian clothes who were monitoring the protesters were attacked.
An unspecified number of civilians were injured during the operation, which was carried out “with respect for the rights of civilians,” according to the police statement.
For its part, the activist group “Acampada Lisbwa” reported that more than 30 demonstrators were injured, including ten who were taken to the hospital, and called for a new gathering on Sunday afternoon in the capital.
Tents were set up late on Saturday night, after peaceful marches took place in the streets of the two cities to protest the rise in rent prices.
In recent weeks, the police have repeatedly dismantled camps that spread in Lisbon and Porto.
The protesters call on the government to abandon projects to facilitate the eviction of tenants, and to remove the ceiling imposed on new rents, warning that these measures would raise housing prices and increase the vulnerability of tenants’ conditions.
The demonstrators in Portugal were inspired by the events in Spain, where protesters set up tents in central Madrid and other cities for weeks.
