6,000 Arrested as French Student Protests Demand Better School Conditions in most dangerous countries
France has been rocked by a wave of student-led protests over deteriorating school conditions, resulting in about 6,000 arrests as demonstrations spread across the country.
Student Protests Sweep France
Tens of thousands of high school students protested in Paris and other cities, demanding better learning conditions such as functional toilets, supplies, and reasonable class hours. [1] People take part in a demonstration as part of a nationwide day of actions called by high-school students, joined by unions and teachers, who have been demanding better learning conditions, in Bayonne, France, on Tuesday. [3] As drums pounded and chants rang out, 16-year-old Yanis, flanked by a knot of friends, rattled off why he had joined tens of thousands surging through the streets of Paris on Tuesday to demand better learning conditions. [3] “There are no toilets, no toilet paper, everything is broken,” he said, his schoolmates nodding and chiming in. “We go to class from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with a one-hour break.” [3]
Arrests and Clashes Reported
France has been rocked by another wave of student-led protests over deteriorating school conditions, with about 6,000 people arrested as demonstrations spread across the country. [1] A French policeman was charged Tuesday with violence for firing a tear gas grenade at close range at a 14-year-old student during high school protests that have shaken the country. [4] Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Fanny Gallois, Head of the Freedoms Program, Amnesty International, says that "these cases of serious injuries related to the use of so-called less-lethal weapons commonly used in France are specifically worrying because we've been asking for their ban for years" adding that "the k [4]
Nationwide Day of Action
A quarter of a million demonstrators took to the streets across France on Tuesday in a nationwide day of action joined by unions and teachers. [5] People take part in a demonstration as part of a nationwide day of actions called by high-school students, joined by unions and teachers, who have been demanding better learning conditions, in Bayonne, France, on Tuesday. [3] As drums pounded and chants rang out, 16-year-old Yanis, flanked by a knot of friends, rattled off why he had joined tens of thousands surging through the streets of Paris on Tuesday to demand better learning conditions. [3] “There are no toilets, no toilet paper, everything is broken,” he said, his schoolmates nodding and chiming in. “We go to class from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with a one-hour break.” [3]
Trump Comments on Unrest
U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday blamed France’s mass student protests on Islam and migration, pushing his global right-wing narrative ahead of tough midterm elections at home. [5] “What’s happening in France is nothing less than out of control mass migration,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network. [5] “This isn’t about schools, this is about Islam wanting to take over a once great Country!” [5] Trump did not elaborate on his claims or provide any evidence. [5] In France, no link has yet been established between the student movement and any religious or identity-based demands. [5] “You’ll get the Iranians’ version, perhaps the version from some Israelis, perhaps the version from some Americans,” France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday. [5]
Rights Group Concerns
A French policeman was charged Tuesday with violence for firing a tear gas grenade at close range at a 14-year-old student during high school protests that have shaken the country. [4] Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Fanny Gallois, Head of the Freedoms Program, Amnesty International, says that "these cases of serious injuries related to the use of so-called less-lethal weapons commonly used in France are specifically worrying because we've been asking for their ban for years" adding that "the k [4]
What to watch next: French students have blocked the entrances to hundreds of high schools across the country since late September to demand better conditions, in protests that have descended into sporadic clashes with security forces. [5]
