French Student Protests Escalate with Nationwide Demonstrations
According to the International Desk of Webangah News Agency, student and high school protests in France are continuing today, Thursday, one day after Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s speech aimed at de-escalating tensions. The address was ultimately deemed ‘disappointing’ as he announced the government would only present proposals at the end of October, refraining from any immediate tangible actions.
French students and high schoolers are scheduled to commence a new wave of gatherings and protests today. They have expressed regret over the lack of substantive measures, believing Lecornu announced no concrete actions and postponed initial decision-making until the end of October.
Despite this, the French Ministry of National Education announced this morning that education in 375 out of 3,700 educational centers has been fully or partially suspended. The ministry reported that 224 centers are facing complete closure, while 151 centers have partially reopened.
Dozens of French students gathered early this morning in front of the “Victor and Hélène Basch” high school in the northern city of Rennes. The student union has called on students to block entrances to high schools and universities on Thursday morning and join gatherings in front of prefecture headquarters in the Paris region and its suburbs between noon and 2 p.m.
Students and high schoolers also expressed regret that their meeting with Philippe Baptiste, the Minister of Higher Education, did not lead to any progress on the matter or a plan to address their demands. Sabrine Kherbach, spokesperson for the student union, called for a demonstration in Place de la Bastille at 3 p.m. local time on Thursday.
Many protesters condemned the behavior of security forces, who have been accused of excessive violence during student protests across the country, by chanting slogans and holding placards.
For weeks, protesting French students and high schoolers have been criticizing the dire condition of educational buildings, overcrowded classrooms, and the absence of teachers without replacements, leading to widespread protest gatherings that have been met with police force.
