3 hrs ago
French School Protests Bring Decades-High Toll and Government Pressure
Students, teachers and parents marched in cities across France to ask for better schools.
They say some school buildings need repairs and that missing teachers are not always replaced.
They also want a review of the school day and longer lunch breaks.
Police used tear gas and water cannons against some groups, and clashes caused injuries.
The prime minister said many students and school staff had been hurt.
A 15-year-old was badly injured on Monday after reportedly picking up a police grenade.
Protesters and rights groups say police used too much force, while the government says some protests were taken over by outsiders and became violent.
The government plans to prepare proposals, but France’s debt and budget problems could make changes harder to pay for.
Demonstrations spread across France on Tuesday, with reported attendance ranging from more than 250,000, according to the Interior Ministry, to 450,000, according to organisers.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said at least 215 teenagers and 85 school staff had been injured; reports gave different police injury figures, including more than 700 cumulatively and 48 on Tuesday.
Students cite understaffing and neglected school buildings, and seek replacement teachers, a review of school hours and longer lunch breaks.
A 15-year-old lost a hand and part of his lower arm on Monday after reportedly picking up a police grenade; rights groups and protesters accuse authorities of disproportionate force.
Lecornu asked ministers for initial proposals by the end of October, while debt and budget pressures may constrain the cost of reforms.
- Who
- French high-school students, teachers and parents; police; and the government led by Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
- What
- Nationwide school protests over staffing, maintenance and school-day conditions, with clashes and injuries reported.
- Where
- Across France, including Paris, Strasbourg, Lyon, Rennes, Marseille, Nantes and Toulouse.
- When
- The protests began in September; the largest day described was Tuesday, October 6. A 15-year-old was injured on Monday.
- Why
- Students are protesting understaffing and poor school maintenance and are seeking changes to teacher replacement, school hours and lunch breaks.
Critics of the response
Government and other claims
Police force
Critics of the response
Rights groups, students and parent groups accuse authorities of using disproportionate force against minors.
Government and other claims
The government says outsiders have hijacked the protest movement and that demonstrations in some places have deteriorated into urban violence.
Responsibility for unrest
Critics of the response
France Unbowed denies accusations that its lawmakers and mayors are stoking unrest; its leader says places without police presence are proceeding smoothly.
Government and other claims
The government and Marine Le Pen’s National Rally have accused France Unbowed lawmakers and mayors of stoking unrest.
What the protests concern
Critics of the response
The demands described by students concern school staffing, funding, maintenance and daily school conditions.
Government and other claims
Donald Trump claimed the protests were evidence of uncontrolled migration and made a claim about Islam; the article notes the students’ demands do not concern religion or immigration.
Key facts
- Student attendance
- The Interior Ministry reported more than 250,000 participants; organisers estimated 450,000.
- Teenagers injured
- At least 215, according to Lecornu.
- School staff injured
- At least 85, according to Lecornu.
- Police and security personnel injured
- Lecornu’s office said more than 700 police officers had been hurt; the Interior Ministry reported 48 security personnel injured on Tuesday.
- Arrests
- The Interior Ministry reported 488 arrests on Tuesday and 6,100 since protests began.
- Prosecutions
- More than 1,800 people, including 1,483 minors, were being prosecuted, according to the justice ministry.
- Government proposals
- Lecornu asked ministers to submit initial proposals by the end of October.
- Teenager injured
- A 15-year-old lost a hand and part of his lower arm on Monday after reportedly picking up a police grenade.
Quotes
Emilie Lhomme
A parent protesting outside a school in Paris.
“That’s all fine and dandy, but that’s not what’s going to change the daily lives of our children.”
theprint.in
theprint.in
“They want to divide the young people into good and bad protesters.”
theprint.in
Sebastien Lecornu
France’s prime minister, describing injuries during the protests.
“the heaviest toll in decades paid by the school system”
theprint.in
Sources
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