Clashes erupted between French teenagers and police on Tuesday as high school students staged protests over grievances including timetables, class sizes, and a shortage of teachers. The protests, which started in the Ile-de-France region around Paris, have now spread to other cities nationwide, with 338 schools affected by protests or disruptions since the start of the day. According to the education ministry, 40 schools were blockaded and 44 faced attempted blockades.
The protests sometimes turned violent, with masked pupils gathering outside the Lycee Cesar Baggio in Lille, setting bins on fire and hurling bottles, paving stones, and various objects at police. Police responded by firing tear gas, resulting in 40 arrests and 10 people, including students and staff, being wounded. Similar clashes were reported in cities including Marseille, Bordeaux, and Lyon.
In one lycee in the Paris suburbs, teachers formed a line around protesting students in a bid to protect them from the police. The actions came as unions planned a day of nationwide demonstrations and strikes over the budget of Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron. Union marches took place in Paris and other cities, with around one-in-10 teachers striking nationwide.
The head of the CGT union, Sophie Binet, warned the government to address the demands and revise the draft budget, which she said was "dangerous for the country and is driving us straight into the wall of recession." Lecornu said on Monday that any escalation of demonstrations at high schools would be "irresponsible" and lashed out at the hard-left France Unbowed party, accusing them of encouraging the protests.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 164 arrests took place on Monday and 180 schools were affected, adding that "we cannot tolerate excesses." In the low-income Paris suburb of Seine-Saint-Denis, the district's LFI mayor, Bally Bagayoko, joined a protest of hundreds of students at the Lycee Paul-Eluard, describing the protests as "completely legitimate."
A 16-year-old student at the school, Victoire, denounced conditions at the establishment as "unsanitary" and said, "We, the children of the suburbs, are abandoned and neglected." Bagayoko denied accusations he had set fire to a bin at the school, telling BFM TV that "sometimes, violence can be legitimate, but whenever it can be avoided, it is better."
The protests highlight the deep-seated issues in France's education system, with students demanding better working conditions, smaller class sizes, and more resources. The government faces pressure to address these concerns, with the protests showing no signs of abating. As the situation continues to unfold, it remains to be seen how the government will respond to the students' demands.
Key points
- 40 arrests were made on Tuesday and 10 people were wounded during the protests.
- 338 schools have been affected by protests or disruptions since the start of the day.
- The protests have spread to cities nationwide, including Marseille, Bordeaux, and Lyon.
