How did it start?
In mid-September, teachers and students gathered to protest staff shortages at a high school in Créteil, on the southeastern outskirts of Paris. The discontent spread to other suburbs, and blockades and demonstrations spread across the country. Parents and teachers have also supported the demonstrations.
What is the background?
Mayors, among others, have warned that it was only a matter of time before high school students united, following what they say has been a deterioration in students’ conditions over several years.
“It’s been a long time since high school students mobilized, even though there are many legitimate reasons to do so - especially in working-class neighborhoods,” said Ali Rabeh, mayor of Trappes, for example, according to Le Monde.
What do young people want?
The students want to fundamentally overhaul the education system. On October 5, they launched ten demands. Among other things, they want school buildings to be renovated - classrooms become scorching hot during summer heat waves and freezing cold in winter. They also demand more trained staff, as well as more nurses, psychologists and guidance counselors.
They also want to abolish Parcoursup, the platform used to process university applications, which President Emmanuel Macron himself has called “a stress factory.” According to the students, “an algorithmic selection” takes place there that disadvantages some applicants.
The students are also demanding 150,000 new study places in higher education.
Where are the protests taking place?
Large demonstrations have been held in Paris and in about thirty cities - including Tours, Rennes, Brest, Nancy, Montpellier, Toulouse, Besançon, Perpignan and Lille.
Between 400 and 500 of the country’s 3,700 high schools were closed on Monday. Escalating protests have been announced for Tuesday.
Are the protests violent?
The government says 215 students and 715 police officers have been injured. Among them, a 15-year-old had his hand torn off while picking up a stun grenade fired by riot police. A 16-year-old lost sight in his right eye, and a 14-year-old lost all his teeth and “now eats through a straw,” AFP writes.
The movement has degenerated into “urban violence,” according to the Prime Minister’s Office, which accuses left-wing movements of exploiting the protests. Trade unions, left-wing parties and human rights organizations, in turn, accuse the police of disproportionate violence.
Sophie Binet, general secretary of the CGT union, is shocked by the “unprecedented government intervention,” according to Radio France.
More than 5,000 people, 87 percent of whom are minors, have been arrested.
