What to know about France’s high school student protests
Thousands of arrests and hundreds of injuries have intensified criticism of police tactics and France’s education system.
- On Tuesday, climate activist Greta Thunberg joined students in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis as France faced nationwide marches and school blockades. The demonstrations have disrupted the country and challenged President Emmanuel Macron's government.
- Demonstrations began last month in a Creteil high school over staffing shortages, reflecting broader grievances about dilapidated facilities and under-resourced schools. Students cite exhausting school days running from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and a complex university entrance system.
- Police have made more than 6,600 arrests nationwide as of last week, while heavy-handed tactics have sparked criticism. A police tear gas grenade shattered a 14-year-old's jaw, and another 15-year-old lost a hand to a stun grenade.
- Presidential candidates are seizing on the unrest, with far-left candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon supporting students while far-right leader Marine Le Pen demands broader police powers. Conservative former Prime Minister Edouard Philippe condemned those who "break things, burn things or assault people."
- Mélenchon's party proposed lowering the voting age to 16 and scrapping selective admissions at universities. Meanwhile, concerns persist that the French education system is failing, with recent PISA reports showing plunging scores in reading and mathematics.
16 Articles
16 Articles
Tear gas and car on fire • Greta Thunberg showed her support in Paris.
(Paris=Yonhap News) Correspondent Hwang Yun-jeong = "If they didn't want us to rebel, they wouldn't have made us study Rimbaud (Arthur Rimbaud, the French poet symbolizing the spirit of rebellion)..."
The Toronto Star
What to know about France’s high school student protests
PARIS (AP) — France has seen thousands of arrests, hundreds of injuries, and schools set on fire as the new school year descended into nationwide student protests that are influencing France's presidential election campaign and drawing international attention.
How systemic educational failures triggered the violent protests in France
Students, teachers, and parents have taken to the street to protest France’s crippling education infrastructure. However, as the movement started to gain nationwide traction, so did violence, driven by clashes with the riot police.
Comment: French high school students strive for more teachers and equal chances. Instead, politicians face a wall of incomprehension and brutal police crackdowns. Moreover, the protests, which spread to the rest of the country from the Paris suburbs, have grown into a political battle.
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