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Several hundred thousand high school students in France went from blocking entrances to their schools across the country to marching together today, as they demand better learning conditions. Protests are in their second week now. The students are demonstrating against decrepit facilities and a lack of teachers. But some protests turned violent last week, and the movement shows no signs of abating. NPR's Eleanor Beardsley reports.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Singing in Non-English language).
ELEANOR BEARDSLEY, BYLINE: Paris' place de la République was packed under a bright October sun as tens of thousands of people prepared to march together. They were mostly teenage students, but also teachers, parents and labor union members.
UNIDENTIFIED PROTESTERS: (Chanting in Non-English language).
BEARDSLEY: The students were ebullient. They sang the "Marseillaise" and chanted against fascism and about being young and revolutionary. Seventeen-year-old Thais L. Ejuiellineau (ph) is with a group of three high schools and teachers.
THAIS L EJUIELLINEAU: We are protesting for, like, better conditions of work. We are too much students in one classroom. We cannot study in this conditions. We want to be here because it's been 10 years - well, more than 10 years - and the government does not listen to us.
BEARDSLEY: She says her Paris school is not so bad, but this movement is also about solidarity with students in poor neighborhoods and rural areas whose facilities are much worse.
CAPOT SERVANT: (Non-English language spoken).
BEARDSLEY: "There are big inequalities in French schools," says mother-of-a-student and teacher Capot Servant (ph). "It's important to defend the idea of equal chances in school," she says.
Some protests turned violent last week. Scenes of hooded youths being chased by police amidst clouds of tear gas and burning vehicles, trash cans and schools filled the nightly news. Talk shows have been full of politicians arguing over whether the so-called casseur hoodlum youths or violent police are more to blame for the disorder. A 15-year-old lost his hand Monday when a police grenade blew up. Seventy-two-year-old Christine Struek (ph) said she had to be out here today.
CHRISTINE STRUEK: Because, unfortunately, our police and our government are extremely violent. They have no way to contain the demands of the youth, the young people, and they answer with violence.
BEARDSLEY: The far right says the police are only trying to keep order around schools in unruly areas. The prime minister has accused the far-left France Unbowed Party of encouraging the protesters. The far-left party does see the students' cause as a boost to its campaign six months ahead of France's presidential election. Far-left leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon condemned police actions and called on union members to march with the students to keep them safe from police.
JEAN-LUC MÉLENCHON: (Non-English language spoken).
BEARDSLEY: "Our country is seeing the most powerful youth student movement since May 1968," he said. "So I call on you to go out and join the protesters." In May 1968, workers joined students in a massive movement that brought down the government of President Charles de Gaulle.
(CHEERING)
BEARDSLEY: Today, these students seem to feel their power. The French government is under huge economic pressure and facing massive debt with little wiggle room. It had actually planned to cut teaching posts in the 2027 budget. In response to the protests, the government has created an online platform for students to post their complaints, and the prime minister called for schools to close Friday so that each establishment can, quote, "give some time to internal democracy and reflection."
Eleanor Beardsley, NPR News, Paris. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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