Student protests have gripped France, causing widespread disruptions in over 735 schools as students and university attendees demand more resources and better educational conditions. The demonstrations, initially peaceful, have seen escalating violence, vandalism, clashes with police, and numerous arrests and injuries. Concerns about teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, dilapidated buildings, and issues with university admissions are central to the protests, with political accusations and external influences complicating the situation.

Student protests have gripped France, causing widespread disruptions in over 735 schools as students and university attendees demand more resources and better educational conditions. The demonstrations, initially peaceful, have seen escalating violence, vandalism, clashes with police, and numerous arrests and injuries. Concerns about teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, dilapidated buildings, and issues with university admissions are central to the protests, with political accusations and external influences complicating the situation.

Student protests have gripped France, causing widespread disruptions in over 735 schools as students and university attendees demand more resources and better educational conditions. The demonstrations, initially peaceful, have seen escalating violence, vandalism, clashes with police, and numerous arrests and injuries. Concerns about teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, dilapidated buildings, and issues with university admissions are central to the protests, with political accusations and external influences complicating the situation.

More than 735 schools in France faced disruptions on Friday after students mobilised for large-scale demonstrations for a second day.

The demonstrations were triggered on September 17 after students, parents, and teachers gathered in Creteil to demand more resources for schools.

About two days later, the protests spread over hundreds of high schools across the country.

Authorities responded with force to the initially peaceful student movement. ‘On Thursday, the demonstrations turned violent as things heated up when high school students clashed with law enforcement and the government.

The government of France said that the students have every right to protest; however, it condemned the widespread vandalism and violence. There was a massive deployment of police personnel against the students, reports say.

As of Friday, there were about 1747 arrests made and more than 5000 since Monday, according to  Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, Le Figaro reported.

A number of injuries were also reported among the teenagers.

Tours  prosecutor, Catherine Sorita-Minard, said on Friday that one 16-year-old was injured in the eye during demonstrations. His injuries were"consistent with the impact of an LBD-type defense ball,” she said.

In Marseille, there were reports of the administrative staff being splashed with gasoline.

A 14-year-old was reportedly wounded by a grenade launched and suffered from a double fracture in the jaw.

The high school students who took to the streets on Thursday were joined by university students who denounced the "massive elimination of places in universities" and the freezing of housing benefits in particular. At least 26 universities were blockaded on Thursday.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, accused La France Insoumise, a left-wing political party, of encouraging the students to block high schools.

"LFI MPs have been encouraging young people to block high schools since Wednesday. The call by these MPs to extend the blockades acknowledges a political instrumentalisation of youth," the ministry claimed.

On Thursday, students reported that vandals hijacked the protests, turning them violent.

One student told AFP that  “about fifteen young people from outside the school, who came from another town, took advantage of the situation to do whatever they wanted,"

French Education Minister Edouard Geffray told media on Friday that "violent individuals" were "infiltrating groups of students" and "taking the movement hostage" and called on parents to prevent their children from joining the protests.

Regional officials said that the protests resulted in damages worth € 3 million at nearly 40 schools. Fences were torn down, furniture was destroyed, and doors and windows were smashed during the protests.

Multiple unions expressed solidarity with the students. The  SNEP-FSU, a physical education union, the public services union SNUEP-FSU and the union syndicate Solidaires called for their members to support the demonstration on October 6 in support of the demands of the student mobilisations.

On Friday afternoon, the Minister of National Education received three school student unions for dialogue. They expressed their concerns about overcrowded schedules, dilapidated school buildings, and worrying mental health concerns among young people, and after several hours of discussion, concrete measures were proposed.

Some of the reasons high school students joined the demonstrations include a shortage of teachers, overcrowded classrooms and heavy timetables, and unsanitary building conditions, including collapsed walls and rats.

A shortage of  school nurses, social workers and teaching assistants and the functioning of Parcoursup, a website for students to apply for higher education programmes were also part of the reasons.

TAGS