By Clementine Rullan Gonzalez
Edited by Marina Yan
If you've been on social media over the past month, you may have seen images of student protests in France: teenagers filling the streets, holding signs and demanding change. More recently, however, footage of clashes, tear gas and damaged shopfronts have drawn attention to a different side of the demonstrations. But how did this happen? Why were the students protesting? And what do they think about the new direction of these events?
I recently had the chance to speak to a family friend that lives in the center of Paris, attending a high school there. She gave me insight on the situation from a students perspective. Her answers to my questions have been translated from French to English.
Question: Have you or anyone you know been to any of these protests? If so, what were you/they protesting for exactly?
The majority of my friends have participated in these protests to assert their rights. Their complaints were the following:
Many school buildings are in poor condition and are not equipped to cope with recent climate-related challenges.
The lack of funding and support for many local schools and its students.
There is a lack of teachers, and though this does not concern me directly since I am lucky enough to go to a good high school, in some high schools, teachers are not being replaced—even though, by the end of the year, students have to take the French baccalaureate exam, as well as the mathematics baccalaureate exam (which is now taken in the first year of the final two-year cycle).
Parcoursup, the platform where students apply for higher education can be confusing.
Issues with schedules: Long days, large 3-5 hour gaps with no lessons.
Question: How do you personally feel about these protests and the violence that they’ve amounted to recently?
Protesting is a right and I find it wonderful that our generation has taken charge. Despite this, Some people are taking advantage of the situation to rob businesses, and I find that unfortunate because it undermines the credibility of the high school students' movement. There is violence directed both at police officers and at high school students. I also find that the measures taken by the State—deploying riot police (CRS) against young people, equipped with weapons such as batons, grenades, and tear gas—are disproportionate.
Question: Do you think these protests will lead to any real change in France? Why or why not?
These protests have affected many cities across France; the state has taken note and implemented measures that, for the time being, do not change much for us. They have set up a forum where high school students can speak out and advocate for their demands. However, I do not believe the protests will bring about any significant change to the national education system—though I certainly hope they might.
These manifestations have now spread from France to many other countries, including Spain, Portugal, Italy and Albania. With this, the question remains: will these protests amount to any real change? Or will they just remain an inspiring situation turned unfortunate?
