France is struggling to contain the largest student movement in decades.
The protests began last month at a high school on the outskirts of Paris, where students joined striking teachers to protest a lack of staff and resources. The strike ended when their demands were met and additional staff were sent to the school.
But soon after, students in Paris and the surrounding area began blocking the school’s entrances. Within days, similar scenes were reported across the country. Videos of students setting trash cans on fire, manning barricades, assaulting faculty and staff and clashing with police have raised questions about the police response and the involvement of far-left groups.
Over the past few weeks, hundreds of schools have been forced to close and thousands of people have been detained by police, most of them minors with no criminal records.
Critics have accused the police of being heavy-handed. Following a massive day of protests on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron called for “empathy” from police confronting student demonstrators.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said in an address to the nation on Wednesday that parliament will consider a budget next month that includes 64 billion euros ($71.6 billion) in education funding, a slight increase from last year. He also said the government has launched five initiatives to address the needs of students.
However, there is little sign that school lockdowns will stop in the meantime. The student union called for a protest on October 17th.
Here are some articles that went viral last week and photos that caught our eye.
