French Minister Geffray Met with Student Unions, No Concrete Announcement Made

Minister Geffray met with representatives of student unions at the Ministry in the capital Paris.

After the meeting, union representatives held a press conference in front of the Ministry.

Rani, President of the High School Union League (USL), stated in his speech here that Geffray proposed to start talks on "democracy in high schools".

Rani stated that Geffray told them to wait for the presidential elections to be held in 2027 regarding education, but they could not understand this.

Stating that no concrete announcement was made during their meeting with the minister, Rani said that for this reason, they, as the union, called for continuing the actions and participating in the demonstrations on October 6.

Rani said about the demands of the students, which they expressed in their meeting with the French minister, "High school students are expecting concrete steps from this government and we could not get them today." he said.

Emphasizing that they will not give up unless concrete announcements are made, Rani noted that a budget should be allocated for the renovation of school buildings and that the existing buildings are not compatible with the climatic conditions.

Pointing out that students want their living and educational conditions to be improved, Rani said, "Considering the images we have seen in the last 10 days, it is clear that the youth of this country are mistreated and oppressed when they dare to rebel." he said.

"The student movement that gained momentum yesterday is already historic."

Student Union (UE) General Secretary Eloise Lefebvre-Milon stated that the government's strategy is to call them for another meeting before the elections.

Emphasizing that this is insufficient against the demands of young people and students, Lefebvre-Milon said, "The (student) movement that gained momentum yesterday is already historic." he said.

Calling all university students to join high school students protesting against oppression, Lefebvre-Milon noted that investments in the field of education are insufficient.

Lefebvre-Milon underlined that university students share the same demands with high school students and want more budget for youth, saying, "(Youth) represents the future of the country." he said.

Reminding that university registration fees for foreign students who are citizens of countries outside the European Union (EU) have increased 16 times in France, Lefebvre-Milon said, "There are foreign students all over France waiting to learn whether they can continue their education." he said.

Lefebvre-Milon stated that the protests at universities and high schools will continue on the morning of October 6, and that in the afternoon, students and employees will participate in major demonstrations in the country.

Regarding the violence experienced during the protests, Lefebvre-Milon said, "The first violence comes from the police." he commented.