Students blockade dozens of schools, universities to keep pressure on French government to meet demands

Students blockaded dozens of high schools and universities across France on Tuesday to maintain pressure on the government over education reforms, as trade unions prepare for a national strike.

After returning from a two-week autumn break, some students resumed their protest campaign, demanding that authorities renovate dilapidated schools, reduce class sizes, and create additional university places.

Authorities said Tuesday that 48 high schools out of 3,700 schools in France were blockaded amid tight security measures, including in Paris, Rennes, and Lyon. The USL student union said 500 schools were blockaded. Officials also announced that 51 higher education institutions out of 184 were disrupted.

The USL union condemned what it described as harsh tactics, with "young people pinned against walls and riot police units deployed" outside schools. A union representative said authorities appeared to want to weaken a new day of blockade on Thursday when trade unions have called a national strike.

In contrast, Education Minister Edouard Geffray expressed opposition to the movement, saying students need to study and prepare for exams. He said on the X platform, "Preventing them from entering their schools deprives them of a fundamental right: the right to education," adding that some staff "were once again subjected to violence."

In the city of Rennes in the northwest of the country, about 30 students blockaded Brequigny High School, one of the largest high schools in the country. Tensions quickly flared between students and school administration, with a staff member protesting, "You are not the majority," to which a student replied, "If we are doing this, it is because everything we tried before did not work."

At a school in the city of Toulouse in the southwest of the country, students raised banners, one reading "Angry, no to the far right," and another reading "Youth confront the education system."

The Union Etudiante student union said one in two universities was affected on Tuesday and that more than 50 campuses were blockaded. At the University of Lille in the north of the country, about 40 students used bicycles and garbage bins to close the campus, leading to the cancellation of lectures.

Some schools have been damaged since the student movement emerged in September. Authorities said Tuesday that three minors were arrested after a school in the city of Nantes in the west of the country was set on fire in October on the margins of protests.

The school protests have fueled a national movement against rising prices and inadequate public services, which brought hundreds of thousands to the streets over the past three weekends and led on October 17 to some of the worst unrest France has seen in years.

The school movement has inspired students in other European countries, including Italy and Spain, where the French word "blocus" (blockade) has become a hashtag on social media platforms.

Last week, the French government unveiled measures aimed at meeting some student demands, including replacing the university admissions platform that was criticized for lacking transparency. However, students say the proposals do not go far enough, demanding 10 billion euros in investment.

(Source: UNews)