French student protests resume at smaller scale after break

Summarised from 3 outlets · 7 reports · Updated 2 Nov, 14:30 · Archive

French high school students resumed blockades at about 41 schools on Monday after the autumn holidays, on a much smaller scale than before the break.

French high school students resumed protests on Monday by blockading approximately 41 schools, roughly one per cent of the country's 3,700 high schools, as they returned from a two-week autumn break. Blockades occurred in Paris, Marseille, Rennes and Lille. The scale was significantly smaller than weeks earlier, when hundreds of schools had been obstructed.

The protests began in the Paris suburbs in September before spreading nationwide and broadening beyond education concerns to include the cost of living, drawing in trade unionists and activists. Some demonstrations turned violent, with police clashes and rioting in several cities.

Students are demanding renovation of ageing schools, more teachers, more university places and reform of the university admissions system. In Marseille, students stacked garbage bins at school entrances. Sixteen-year-old Meriem told AFP: "We've resumed the movement because we were supposedly given answers, but … it's clearly not enough."

Last week, the government announced substantial concessions. Education Minister Edouard Geffray pledged a cap of 28 pupils per class in first-year high school, €4 billion for school renovation, 15,000 new higher education places and gradual replacement of the Parcoursup admissions platform by 2028. The government also cancelled planned education job cuts and promised 500 additional posts.

Geffray told France Inter radio that while protests are permitted, blockading schools is illegal. "In terms of blockades, or attempted blockades, the phenomenon is very marginal," he said. "The school year is now at risk for several hundred thousand pupils and we can't allow that."

Demonstration attendance has fallen for the third consecutive week. One political expert suggested the protests may be losing momentum, noting it is difficult to identify who people are protesting against given the government's lack of a parliamentary majority.

How it is being reported

• French school protests resume on smaller scale after autumn breakFrench high school student protests resumed on Monday on a much smaller scale than in past weeks as pupils returned from a two-week break, with youngsters trying to blockade a few high schools in Paris, Marseille and Rennes.France 24 · 2 Nov, 14:15
• French students block school entrance with bins as protests enter third weekFrench student leaders have vowed to go on protesting despite government concessions on educationIndependent World · 2 Nov, 13:18
• 'No political solution' to anger in France, expert says amid ongoing protestsWith the vast majority of French high schools reopening despite calls for new blockades, and the number of people attending weekend demonstrations down for the third week in a row, are the protests in France beginning to die out? We spoke to one political expert who says he believes they will, saying it is difficult to see who people are protesting against, given that the government has no majority in parliament.France 24 · 2 Nov, 12:41
• French school protests resume on small scale as students return from breakEducation ministry says 41 schools blockaded as students return after holiday break.Al Jazeera · 2 Nov, 11:39
• French school protests resume on smaller scale after holiday breakFrench students back from autumn holidays blocked some high schools on Monday, determined to revive last month's protest movement despite a handful of concessions from the government during the break. Blockades took place in several cities across France, including Paris, Marseille and Rennes.France 24 · 2 Nov, 10:53
• France: Some schools blocked as limited youth protests resume after holidaysFrench students returning from autumn holidays blocked some high schools on Monday, November 2, determined to reinvigorate a protest movement despite government concessions during the break. FRANCE 24's Antonia Kerrigan reports from the ground.France 24 · 2 Nov, 09:57
• French high school blockades to restart on Monday, student unions sayThe head of a student union said Sunday that high school blockades throughout France would restart on Monday. French President Emmanuel Macron has called for classes to resume after the government announced new measures to address the ongoing education crisis which student groups found insufficient.France 24 · 1 Nov, 14:31

In this story: France · Paris · Marseille · Rennes · Lille · Edouard Geffray · Emmanuel Macron

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