Numerous students have been taking to the streets in France for days. During the protests, emergency services are attacked, fires are set and many young people are arrested. There is violence on both sides. For example, a 14-year-old was seriously injured in the face by a smoke grenade and elsewhere a police officer was thrown to the ground and kicked. Essentially, the demonstrations are about more money for the education system - a demand that many in the country can probably get behind. So how could the situation get so bad?
Students complain about desolate conditions
The protests began in high schools in the greater Paris area. They then spread across the country, reportedly through social media. The demands were sometimes very different: it was about cell phones in schools, not enough time for lunch, school days that were too packed. But the students kept coming up with one topic: There was simply a lack of money. They complained about ceilings falling down, rain pouring into the school, broken toilets and too few teachers.
A school system that is perceived as unfair
Central to this is a feeling of injustice, especially in poorer areas. The students there feel left behind and fear that underfunding of public schools will further reduce their chances of getting into a good university and later getting a well-paid job.
“School is no longer seen as an instrument of equal opportunities in France,” said sociologist Anne Muxel from the elite Sciences Po university on France Culture. The idea that school can help with social advancement is declining sharply. “People don’t believe in it and young people even less.” The sociologist Vincent Tiberj also told France Info that the unequal treatment of different high schools was a concern among students.
Compared to Germany, the French education system is significantly more hierarchical. Places at particularly well-respected universities are highly competitive. Many opt for one of the numerous private schools for better opportunities.
Fear of the future and despair fuel protest
There is also general discontent. “There is a kind of weariness that is expressed in the country because there is a feeling that it is becoming more and more difficult to live with dignity,” said Patrick Vassort from the University of Caen on France 3. The social movement researcher sees a very frightening situation for young people. In addition to worries about not getting into a good university, there is also concern about climate change. Despair is increasing among young people and is sometimes reflected in violence. “If there is despair that is too deep, you can no longer see any other solution to express it,” said Vassort.
Is there an escalation spiral?
In addition to violent youth, the police were also criticized during the protests. Thousands of people were arrested during the demonstrations and individual emergency services are being investigated. Although the government emphasizes that the police and gendarmerie are acting with restraint, others accuse them of excessive force.
According to Fabien Truong, a sociologist at the University of Paris 8, the relationship between the demonstrators and the police is sometimes strained. Young people in poorer areas are repeatedly subjected to racist police checks. Behind the current clashes there are sometimes deeper and long-simmering conflicts, he says on the France Culture channel.
Government makes accusations and invites dialogue late
The government is now complaining that the protest is being hijacked and incited by the ultra-left spectrum. Some political officials said that rioters also mingled with the demonstrators. Schools, which young people actually take to the streets to protect, and fire trucks are also being targeted, but how many troublemakers are really among the demonstrators and how much anger is simply growing is difficult to say.
What is clear, however, is that the government responded rather late to the demonstrators. Education Minister Édouard Geffray initially relied on a dialogue with school principals. Only when the situation had already escalated did he announce that he would meet representatives of high school and university students, as their unions had requested.
Government fears protests will expand
The government is now warning of unrest and is apparently afraid that protests will grow. Sociologist Patrick Bruneteaux from the University of Paris 1 wrote in the newspaper L'Humanité that youth have always been a threat to those in power. The government will certainly also have memories of the youth unrest in the summer of 2023. Although it was not about education policy, the government had major problems getting to grips with the situation at the time and would probably want to prevent such a situation from happening again at all costs - especially seven months before the presidential election.
It is unclear how long the protest will last and whether violence will increase. According to sociologist Tiberj, the demonstrations at many schools were peaceful anyway. “Of course there are riots, but these riots are only part of the story and perhaps a small one.”
