France Faces Second Day of Mass Student Protests After Thousands Arrested
France prepared for a nationwide student protest on Tuesday after organizers declared a formal day of action. The call followed more than a week of demonstrations that shut down over 500 schools partially or entirely on Monday alone according to the French education minister. More than 5,000 people were arrested and at least 190 students were injured during that period. The protests began in September in Paris and have since spread across the country.
Students have blockaded schools over grievances including overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating buildings and a shortage of teachers. One student lost a hand during a confrontation on Monday and another was struck in the head by a tear gas grenade the previous week. Education Minister Édouard Geffray confirmed that 24 schools had been burned and ransacked since the demonstrations began. The teachers' union SNES-FSU urged its members to join Tuesday's protest in a show of solidarity with students.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced measures on Sunday aimed at addressing conditions in secondary schools and pledged what he called 'visible changes.' He also stated: 'We will make no concessions to violence. We stand by students and staff who have been assaulted, as well as police officers and gendarmes who have been injured.' The Union Syndicale Lycéenne said the government had offered 'nothing concrete' and cited what it described as 'unprecedented repression of the movement' as reason to continue mobilizing.
The USL's call to action on Tuesday signals that the standoff between students and the government remains unresolved. Left-wing party leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon described the movement as the most significant student uprising in France since 1968 when millions of workers went on strike. The government has stated that measures to improve school conditions are already in motion. Whether those steps will be sufficient to end the demonstrations remains to be seen based on confirmed statements from both sides.