France: Student representatives call for nationwide protests

After last week's violent excesses, France is facing the next big day of protests: student representatives have called for nationwide protests on Tuesday. Support comes from several large education unions, which call for participation in the actions and, in some cases, strikes on their websites. This could make the protest broader beyond the student movement.

After the violent riots of the past few days, the situation initially calmed down over the weekend. The past few days have been marked by scenes of violence, some of which were drastic: teachers were attacked, police officers were injured, garbage cans and vehicles were set on fire. There were many injured. The riots caused significant property damage, the cost of which is estimated to be in the millions.

Classes should be resumed gradually

As Education Minister Édouard Geffray told the France 2 broadcaster and the France Inter radio station, classes should gradually resume on Monday. Classes will be suspended in whole or in part at 400 to 500 institutions where safety conditions are not guaranteed. Geffray cited either material problems or cases in which education employees were directly attacked as reasons.

After a meeting with Geffray on Friday, the student representatives stated that they had not received sufficient concrete commitments. Essentially, they are demanding, among other things, more staff and money for schools, smaller classes and better learning conditions.