“Macron, you’re screwed!” chant students blocking traffic outside the Paris-Panthéon-Assas high school in the French capital, according to Le Figaro.
Protests are also taking place in Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse, Nantes and Marseille, among other cities. On Thursday, classes at nearly 400 schools will be suspended, according to the Ministry of Education.
In Paris, students gathered at dawn to erect new barricades around Hélène Boucher High School, a focal point of protests in recent days. As the crowd grew, police surrounded the protesters, clashed with them and fired tear gas, according to local media.
Rejects criticism of police
Police also fired tear gas in Nantes on Thursday, Le Figaro reports.
Criticism of the French police has been mounting since several students were injured during the protests. Among them, a 15-year-old had his hand blown off by a police grenade in Lens, while other young people suffered knocked-out teeth and eye injuries. More than 6,600 protesters have been arrested, some after vandalising bus shelters and starting fires.
On Thursday, government spokesperson Maud Bregeon dismissed the criticism and said the police were acting with “proportionality and discrimination.”
Promises crisis plan
The protesters, both young and old, are demanding increased funding for the country’s schools and a fundamental overhaul of the education system. In a televised speech on Wednesday night, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu tried to calm the situation by promising a crisis plan by the end of the month.
Many students say that is not enough.
“We expected more from him. This is an emergency situation,” 17-year-old Salyna told AFP in Paris on Thursday.
In Nantes, 17-year-old Camille says students “don’t want words”:
We want action.
