In France, student protests caused €20 million in damages
Student protests in France have already caused about 20 million euros in damage, according to a preliminary estimate by the Régions de France association.
Most of the damage is related to the vandalism and destruction of schools. The association emphasized that French regions have invested significant funds in the development and modernization of educational institutions in recent years.
On Tuesday, October 6, protests in France continued.
In Marseille, in particular, protesters marched through the city streets. Organizers claimed there were 30,000 participants, while according to the prefecture, 4,800 people took part in the march.
Thus, estimates of the number of protesters vary significantly depending on the source.
Amid the protests, the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights expressed concern about the possible “disproportionate use of force” during the mobilization of high school students.
The Commission called on the French government to strengthen dialogue with young people and ensure that the rights of protesters are respected.
Representatives of the student movement are calling for the protests to continue following a fruitless meeting at the ministry that took place on Friday.
Among the movement’s main demands are increased funding for education and improved learning conditions.
Protesters point to unsanitary conditions in school buildings, overcrowded classrooms, and a shortage of teachers. According to the movement’s participants, these problems are particularly acute in working-class neighborhoods.
Separately, students are speaking out against the inequalities they believe are caused by the Parcoursup university admissions system.
Thus, the protests encompass not only the issue of education funding but also learning conditions, staff shortages, and inequality in university admissions.
Le Figaro reports on this.
As a reminder, in France, students, teachers, and parents took to the streets of cities demanding better conditions in schools. In Lyon and Strasbourg, demonstrations escalated into clashes with police, and in Vincennes, a suburb of Paris, law enforcement used tear gas.
In the city of Lens in northern France, a 15-year-old protester lost his arm due to the poor condition of schools. Local Prefect François-Xavier Loch reported the incident on Monday, October 5.
