PARIS (AP) – What began as a protest over deteriorating school conditions in France has spiraled into a nationwide wave of disruption, fires, injuries, damaged schools and mass arrests.
Thousands of French high school “students”, joined in some cities by teachers, parents and unions, have taken to the streets in recent days to protest teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, aging buildings, long school days and what they describe as a neglected education system.
But the demonstrations have also produced scenes that look less like a civics lesson and more like a rolling street riot.
Authorities reported hundreds of arrests in a single day, with thousands detained since the unrest began in mid-September. French officials said hundreds of schools have been affected by blockades, closures or damage. Some school entrances were set on fire, trash bins and electric bikes burned in the streets, and storefronts and nearby businesses were damaged in scattered clashes.
Several people have been injured, including students, school staff and police officers. Reports from France said hundreds of teenagers and education workers have been hurt during the protests, along with hundreds of police officers. In one of the most serious incidents, a teenage protester reportedly lost a hand after being struck by a police stun grenade, prompting French authorities to suspend the use of those grenades at school demonstrations.
The unrest has become serious enough that President Emmanuel Macron convened emergency talks with ministers as his government tried to contain what has become one of France’s largest youth protest movements in months.
The “students’ ” complaints are not imaginary. Many have described schools with crumbling infrastructure, missing teachers, overcrowded classes and oppressive classroom conditions during heat waves. In some areas, students say they have gone months without teachers in major subjects.
Supporters say the protests are a desperate attempt by young people to force the government to pay attention.
Critics say the message has been buried under barricades, smoke, broken glass and police lines.
In several cities, school entrances were blocked with trash bins and makeshift barricades. Fires were set near campuses, transportation was disrupted, and riot police used tear gas to disperse crowds. Officials said some schools were so damaged or unsafe that they had to move students to remote learning.
The irony has not been lost on many observers.
The protesters say they want schools to function better. Their chosen method has often been to prevent schools from functioning at all.
Teacher shortages are not solved by burning things. Crumbling buildings are not repaired by torching the entrances. And students demanding better education do not make their strongest argument by helping shut down the schools they say they want improved.
French officials have acknowledged that many of the grievances are legitimate but have condemned what they describe as urban violence. Education officials said the movement has been infiltrated or overtaken in some places by violent groups more interested in confrontation than classroom conditions.
That explanation may be true in part. It also leaves ordinary French families with the usual bill: closed schools, damaged neighborhoods, injured people and another national crisis dumped on taxpayers.
France now faces two problems at once. The first is the condition of its schools. The second is a protest culture that can turn even a school funding dispute into burned vehicles, smashed windows and emergency meetings at the highest levels of government.
The government has promised consultations and discussions with “student groups”, staff unions and parents. Police, meanwhile, remain deployed around affected campuses as officials brace for more demonstrations.
For now, France’s students have made their point.
Whether anyone can still hear it over the sirens is another question.
