French presidential campaign heats up as student protests fuel political clashes
More than 330 schools were affected as students protested overcrowded classes and teacher shortages, while public-sector workers joined strikes over planned budget cuts.
- On Monday, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned that escalating student protests are "irresponsible" following the arrest of 164 individuals. Across France, 180 schools faced disruptions, with 12 students, 12 security personnel, and three staff members injured.
- Protesters cite 10 years of President Emmanuel Macron's policies, citing teacher shortages, dilapidated schools, and Parcoursup stress. The Union Syndicale Lycéenne called the blockades a "legitimate response" to systemic neglect in the education system.
- Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described demonstrations as "urban violence" involving masked individuals with fireworks and projectiles. BFMTV reported that in one incident, a police officer fired a grenade launcher, injuring a high school student in Alpes-Maritimes.
- Lecornu accused the far-left France Unbowed party of encouraging unrest, while LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon blamed the government for having "ordered the crackdown," calling students "harmless." The clash reflects intensifying political divisions.
- These clashes occur as the government attempts to pass a 2027 state budget through the National Assembly amid divided political support. Simultaneously, unions representing civil servants and hospital staff initiated walkouts, compounding pressure on Lecornu's administration.
120 Articles
120 Articles
The partly violent protests at schools in France are spreading: more than 300 high schools were affected by blockades or protest actions during the day. Pictures of the locations show fires, barricaded school entrances and large police stations.
At noon, access to 40 high schools was still completely blocked, while 44 other schools tried to build blockades.
"When we send the police, we organize the overflows." Sophie Binet, Secretary General of the CGT, was this September 29 on BFMTV's antenna to answer the questions... The article "Police Sauvagerie": Jean-Luc Mélenchon and the CGT do not want policemen in front of the high school blockades appeared first on Current Values.
French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu verbally agreed with far-left leader Jean-Lico Melanchon at the secondary school he blocked.
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- 37% of the sources lean Left
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