TOLERANCE & SOLIDARITY .
An article by Brad Reed in Common Dreams
High school students across France on Thursday once again took to the streets to protest against against the state of the country’s schools.
Euronews, citing information from France’s Interior Ministry, reported that 71,500 people took part in Thursday’s protests.
See also:
‘Savagery’: Horrific Injuries as French Police Crack Down on Nationwide Student Protests
Students taking part in the nationwide protests have been joined by teachers and parents, as well as members of labor unions who earlier this week marched in solidarity.
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Is there a renewed movement of solidarity by the new generation?
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The demonstrations began in the suburbs of Paris last month, where students blockaded their schools to protest staffing shortages, dilapidated buildings, and a university application system that has been criticized for keeping students in the dark for months about their acceptance into programs.
In an interview with NPR published Thursday, 19-year-old French student Clara Houssain described the conditions of schools that were leading to the demonstrations.
“There’s rats in the schools,” said Houssain. “There’s holes in the windows… it’s not suitable conditions to study. They don’t have a French teacher for six months. And then we’re asked to pass an exam, and that exam is supposed to be fair. But it’s not fair if you haven’t had a teacher for six months.”
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the left-wing French party , France Insoumise, took to social media on Thursday to celebrate the success of the student demonstrations.
“The Bastille has been retaken,” he wrote, while posting a video of demonstrators at the July Column in Paris, built to commemorate the Revolution of 1830. “Powerful demonstration by the youth who carry their demands in the most beautiful way possible! Immense pride.”
The Guardian reported interview with Euronews that the student revolt had been brewing for a long time.
“The students have demands that are very close to the ones teachers have been putting forward years,” she explained. “The system is degraded and it’s because there has been no response for so long, that this is happening.”
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