Nationwide demonstrations: France's students are not letting up

Tens of thousands of young people have taken to the streets in France again to demonstrate for better learning and study conditions. They received support from education unions at protest marches and rallies in Paris and other major cities.

According to the Ministry of Education, 214 high schools nationwide were blocked. The ministry spoke of dwindling support for the protests. Only a few employees followed a call for a strike in the education sector. However, according to a student association, 90 percent of universities were blocked or closed. The Ministry of Higher Education spoke of 35 percent.

As in previous protests, police forces and demonstrators clashed in some cities. In Nantes, police used tear gas at the end of a rally. In Lyon, the police took action against a group of rioters dressed in black on the sidelines of the demonstration in which around 11,000 people took part.

In Paris, students demonstrating received applause from passers-by and buses honked at the young people. The presidential candidate of the left-wing party La France Insoumise (LFI), Jean-Luc Mélenchon, also took part. The French government accuses his party of exploiting the protests.

At midday, the Interior Ministry reported 30,000 participants in protests at schools and 21,000 participants in the demonstrations.

In the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis, Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg mingled with the demonstrators. "Young people are not being included in the discussions. Our future is being stolen from us. And as we have seen here, schools are not receiving the investment they need, which simply signals to young people that they are not a priority in our society," Thunberg told reporters. But the young people would not give up and fight for their future.

The demands that have been driving students onto the streets for weeks: better equipment in schools, more teachers and better learning conditions. Specifically, it's about a lack of substitute teachers, schools in need of renovation with broken windows and falling ceilings and timetables that are too full. Particularly in disadvantaged neighborhoods, many young people feel like “second class” people and that their concerns are not taken seriously.

While deliberations on the upcoming budget are underway in the National Assembly, demonstrators in Paris wanted to move near the Prime Minister's headquarters. According to the media, the demo is not approved. Young people are insisting on additional spending of ten billion euros on education. So far, the budget for the coming year has earmarked 1.2 billion euros in additional spending. In addition, the government promised to deploy more than 3,000 substitute teachers at short notice to combat the most serious teaching disruptions. But that's not enough for the protesters and the unions.

The government is faced with demands for more money for education at a very inopportune moment. A few days ago, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu presented an austerity budget for 2027 in which billions in savings are planned. France's national debt has now risen to its highest level since 1946 and interest costs alone are now consuming huge sums of money that are not available for other expenses.

Some protesters are already determined to continue demonstrating after the autumn holidays in November. "We are aware that the government is hoping for the holidays, but we are not giving up," said 16-year-old Enki Falqui from Montpellier. French President Emmanuel Macron, who has barely commented publicly on the protests, appealed to students on Monday to express their concerns calmly and to be respectful. Their demands are issues “that require time and consultation,” he said.

High school students have been blocking access to numerous schools across the country since September 17th to demonstrate for better learning conditions. It is not just the duration of the wave of protests that is attracting attention, but also the sometimes violent riots. There were repeated reports of emergency services and teaching staff being attacked. The Education Ministry said 147 school employees have been injured since the protests began. There was also horror when the entrance hall of a high school in Nantes burned and a fire truck was set on fire in Marseille. Local public transport was also partially restricted due to the protests.

The authorities accused young people of property damage and violence; the damage now runs into the millions. The Interior Ministry has since complained that the situation no longer has anything to do with the legitimate expression of demands. Rather, it has all the characteristics of urban unrest.

Conversely, the police's actions are sometimes criticized as brutal and there have been allegations of police violence. Thousands of young people were arrested during the protests. There are now dozens of internal proceedings against officials - for example, because a 15-year-old lost his hand to a stun grenade and a police officer is said to have rammed his knee into a demonstrator's face.