French NBA star Wembanyama backs student school protests

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 9 Oct, 10:37 · Archive

NBA star Victor Wembanyama has voiced support for French teenagers protesting school conditions.

Victor Wembanyama, a French basketball player for the San Antonio Spurs, voiced his support for teenagers protesting French school conditions at a press conference on Thursday night. He said he heard the protesters and supported them, hoping others would do the same. 'These are systemic inequalities – problems so deep-rooted that, in fact, I'm glad that high-school students and young people in general are speaking up,' he said. He had previously replied 'I would love to' when a fan asked him on Instagram to join the protests.

Wembanyama emphasised that he related to their concerns, having attended high school in Nanterre, an area known for student-led school blockades. 'I've had the chance to escape this system, to escape these problems. But it's chance, it's luck,' he said. The Interior Ministry reported that 71,500 people participated in Thursday's demonstrations, with 24,500 gathering at Place de la Bastille in central Paris.

The protests began last month in high schools in Paris's poorer northern suburbs, where anger over teacher absences and inadequate facilities developed into a nationwide movement opposing inequality, weak public spending and declining educational standards.

How it is being reported

• NBA star Wembanyama to French students: ‘I hear you’San Antonio Spurs player Victor Wembanyama offers solidarity to students protesting conditions in schools in France.Al Jazeera · 9 Oct, 10:01
• French NBA star Victor Wembanyama throws support behind school protests: 'I was in that position'Wembanyama previously replied to a fan on Instagram that he ‘would love to’ join the protestsIndependent Sport · 9 Oct, 09:40

In this story: Victor Wembanyama · San Antonio Spurs · France · Paris · Nanterre · Place de la Bastille

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