According to a report by AFP and other media on September 29, French high school students began protesting at school gates last week due to dissatisfaction with class schedules, excessive class sizes, and a shortage of teachers. The protests spread to many cities across the country. Some schools were blocked by students, and clashes between protesters and police also occurred.
French Interior Minister Najnoud reported in a program on French TV channel BFM on the 29th that during protests filled with various conflicts, there were a total of 440 arrests, and most of those arrested were minors.
Screenshot of BFM TV
He believes that the actions of the security forces were “extremely moderate.” He explained that the arrests were mainly due to intentional damage to property and harassment of domestic security forces, and he also condemned “the serious nature of these acts.”
This movement originated in the Île-de-France region last week and gradually spread across France.
This movement has received support from extreme left-wing political parties "Unbowed France," and has spread to higher education institutions.
The student organization leader, Riyad Ranier, explained in an interview with AFP on the 29th at Montbelo High School in Riyadh (where classes were suspended throughout the day). He said, 'We initiated this mobilization because currently half of the schools are facing a shortage of educational support staff, with vacancies reaching 50%. Some schools lack school doctors and social workers. There are also grades of students preparing for their high school graduation exams who lack teachers for philosophy and French classes.'
Some students piled trashcans at the entrances and exits of the school and set them on fire in an attempt to block the campus.
In Paris, about 30 students confronted the police outside Alagor High School, creating a tense atmosphere. About 80 students gathered outside La Martine High School, holding banners that read "Class time is more than just sleep," and "From 8 am to 6 pm, are we students or prisoners?"
In the Seine-Saint-Denis department, hundreds of high school students gathered in front of Paul-Eluard High School in Saint-Denis. Firefighters arrived to extinguish the fire that had started at the base of the school gate. Saint-Denis mayor (UMP) Bally Bagajoko said he “fully supports” the high school students and called on the government to speak with them.
According to AFP, about a hundred students at Leyne threw objects at Brekinie High School. Near Caesar-Bajou High School in Liège, someone damaged property and threw objects at the security forces, which responded by using tear gas. The government of the North Department said, "Four people have been arrested since morning, and 12 high schools have been affected by the disturbance."
In Cannes, in the south of France, students at the St Joseph High School piled up dozens of trash bins to block access to the campus. Similar demonstrations or confrontations also occurred in Marseille, in the south of France, and in Lyon, in the southeast.
A 17-year-old female student from La Martin High School told AFP that they were angry about the lack of resources, overheated classrooms, and overly tight class schedules. “We are here also to support our teachers, whose workload is incredibly heavy and not commensurate with their salaries.”
A student organization stated that out of a total of approximately 3,700 secondary schools in France, 400 have been closed down.
The French Ministry of Education reported in the evening that since the morning of the 29th, a total of 416 schools were affected. By evening, 338 schools were still affected, with 45 schools being completely blocked, and another 46 attempting to be blocked. The Ministry also reported that a total of 31 students and staff members were injured. The French Interior Minister stated that 48 members of the national security forces were injured on that day.
Île-de-France Region reports: "Order was disrupted at 75 high schools, with conflicts and property damage occurring at 20 of them." Region President Valérie Pecrese condemned the situation, stating that the high schools in Île-de-France have been damaged and looted, with the losses continuing to rise. As of that evening, the total amount lost was nearly 1 million euros.
The Secretary-General of the French Federation of Trade Unions, Benet, said during an interview with French TV channel BFM: 'There is a great public dissatisfaction. I warn the government to respond to these demands and revise the budget draft. This budget puts the country in a dangerous situation; it is driving us towards the wall of economic decline at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour.'
Bine has given the government 48 hours to withdraw the spending reduction proposal in the budget draft; otherwise, unions will take further strike actions.
She said on BFM TV: “This summer, those who are at the forefront aren’t billionaires, corporate bosses, or shareholders, but civil servants and ordinary workers. But what is their reward? Pay cuts? The anger of the people has grown extremely intense.”
The trade union said that the French government proposed to freeze public officials' basic salaries until 2027, in order to save 2 billion euros in expenses. This would be the fourth consecutive year of salary freezes, and the eighth such freeze under Macron's administration. Various trade unions believe that these salary freezes have caused a significant reduction in the purchasing power of public officials.
Several French unions also launched national demonstrations and strikes on the 29th, protesting against Prime Minister Leconni’s budget cuts. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in the French capital Paris and several other cities. Many teachers and firefighters joined the strikes.
According to data from the Ministry of Education, slightly over 11% of teachers and school staff participated in strikes. The average salary of French teachers is lower than that of their counterparts in other European countries.
Professional firefighters participating in the travelogue stated that the large-scale mountain fires this summer fully exposed the current lack of resources in the fire sector.
The proportion of civil servants participating in strikes was less than one-tenth on average; participation rates among hospital staff were even lower.
The French civil aviation regulator previously warned that due to strikes, some airports may experience cancellations of flights.
