The Italian student in Paris: 'The kids protected by the teachers'
Quick Look
Today 1,800 Italian high schools joined the strike against cuts to education, while in Paris thousands of young people, including the Italian activist Eva in Erasmus, blocked boulevards and participated in a strike of 60,000 people, denouncing police violence, disproportionate use of tear gas and degraded school conditions in banlieues similar to those in Italy.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The protests arise from cuts to education in Italy, which led to the strike of 1,800 high schools, while in France the banlieues highlight degraded school conditions with overcrowded classes, lack of staff and buildings invaded by mice and cockroaches, a situation similar to the Italian one according to the activist Eva.
We were in the square with high school students who blocked the road and traffic: today alone 1,800 high school students stopped to protest against the clear cuts to education, this doesn't go down well with a generation that sees itself condemned to poverty. Meanwhile, money is allocated for the war. Eva is an Italian student on Erasmus in Paris and an activist of 'Cambiare Rotta', one of the Italian student movements, and today she took to the streets of the French capital together with thousands of other young people who have been inflaming the protests for days.
A rebellion in which the kids are not alone, or at least this is what Eva saw in the square. At a certain point, in fact, thousands of students blocked a large boulevard in the south of Paris. "The students were protected by a human chain of teachers and school staff - his story - and yet we were attacked by the police with a violence that is not unknown: here already yesterday a boy lost his hand and some very young people lost the use of their eyes. There was also a disproportionate use of tear gas, thrown at 14-15 year olds, protected by senior teachers".
As often happens in France, the flame of protest was lit in the banlieues, which contain the greatest contradictions: "they are mainly first or second generation students, who are forced to attend hen-house classes with 38 students, without permanent staff, with continuous substitutes and even without technical staff - he explains - Furthermore, the conditions of the school buildings are pitiful: many institutions are invaded by mice and cockroaches". A picture, says Eva, very similar to the Italian one: "Education is increasingly becoming a thing for the rich. And university students are joining the protest of high school students".
After the marches on the streets of Paris, the day continued with a massive strike. "And at 2pm 60 thousand people marched in Piazza della Repubblica: it was - concludes Eva - a significant day of struggle".
What to Watch
AI outlook — possibilities, not facts
Student protests will continue in the coming days with new strikes and road blockades in France and possibly Italy
Likely · Within days
French authorities will face growing international pressure to investigate allegations of police violence and disproportionate use of tear gas against minors
Possible · Within weeks
Open Questions
- What are the protesters' specific demands beyond rolling back education cuts?
- Has the French government planned official responses to the accusations of police violence?
- Will the protests spread to other European countries?
- What concrete measures are proposed to improve the conditions of schools in the suburbs?
