France experienced another day of student protests on Thursday, marked by clashes between police and demonstrators, and incidents such as the looting of a high school in Bordeaux, as the French government finalizes concrete measures to quell the unrest.
On Thursday, several demonstrations took place across France, drawing thousands of protesters; however, they did not match the Oct 6 numbers, when up to 450,000 people attended the demonstrations, according to the labour unions.
In Paris, thousands of demonstrators converged on the Place de la Bastille to demand better learning conditions for 2.7 million high school students in France.
“We need concrete measures now. Until 10 billion euros are put on the table, we will not stop mobilizing,” warned Sabrine Kharbach, spokesperson for the Student Union, in statements to the press.
She spoke of a “historic” struggle that goes beyond the student cause, incorporating demands from farmers, firefighters and teachers, among others.
The representative announced another day of protests on Oct. 13.
At the end of the Bastille protest, police fired tear gas and charged to disperse the crowd.
Police headquarters reported that some protesters threw cobblestones and fireworks at officers.
Accused of inciting the protests, 2027 presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon (La France Insoumise, LFI) celebrated “a new storming of the Bastille,” alluding to the fortress seized by the people of Paris on July 14, 1789, which marked the beginning of the French Revolution.
Meanwhile, Education Minister Édouard Geffray announced that he would outline a plan to replace teachers, in response to student demands, who complain of a shortage of teachers.
According to the protest organizers, this measure will not halt the demonstrations.
Incidents across France
In Reims (northeast), a police officer was rushed to the hospital after being struck by a projectile, and a young man was taken into police custody after the incident.
A high school in Lormont, near Bordeaux, was vandalized by a group of hooded individuals, according to a video shared on social media. The principal estimated the damage at between 100,000 and 200,000 euros.
The chief of the municipal police in the small town of Port-de-Bouc (southeast) was suspended from duty after being filmed on Oct. 2 attempting to run over a group of high school students.
he student protests, which began on the outskirts of Paris in mid-September, have been marred by mutual accusations of violence between protesters and police, as well as severe property damage totaling tens of millions of euros.
Since mid-September, at least 6,600 people have been arrested in connection with the protests, most of them minors, and some 700 police officers and gendarmes, along with just over 200 protesters, have been injured.
Due to high-profile cases of teenagers seriously injured during the protests following police interventions, one lost a hand, another lost sight in one eye, and a third suffered severe injuries to the mouth and jaw.
Parents have joined the demonstrations both to support the protesters’ demands and to protect their children.
The French government has stated that law enforcement officers have faced situations of extreme violence from protesters. EFE
