The scale of protests raging across France over the education system, attracting hundreds of thousands of pupils, teachers and parents, has been described as exceptional by unions and student movement organisers.
asserted
scale → rag → unions
“I think this is very historic and unprecedented by how big it is,” Alice Cohen-Morzadec, international spokesperson for France’s Student Union, said on Tuesday, when government sources put the number of protesters at 266,000.
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sources → think → 266,000
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France → 4‘we’re → education
“Some are saying this is the biggest movement since May 1968,” she added.
uncertain
she → say → May
The student protests at Paris universities nearly five decades ago were initially driven by opposition to an outdated and overcrowded system, limited opportunities and broader political concerns.
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protests → drive → system
The unrest soon spread beyond campuses, expanding into nationwide strikes involving millions of workers that virtually paralysed the country.
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that → spread → country
Today’s protests come as France heads into next year’s presidential elections, which are being eyed by the far right.
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which → come → right
As in 1968, the protests that started on September 21 at an underdeveloped Paris suburban high school are about funding for education, teacher shortages, overcrowded classes, and school facilities.
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that → start → education
But those are triggers and not the deeper causes, according to historians and student movement organisers.
uncertain
those → accord → historians
You can see they are bombarded daily with economic problems, political extremes, dangers of warfare in Europe, the threat to their careers from AI, high youth unemployment rates, the climate crisis,” Andrew Smith, historian of modern France and lecturer in Liberal Arts at Queen Mary University of London, told Al Jazeera.
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Smith → see → Jazeera
He said students are dissatisfied because of a lack of substantive interaction between the government and student representatives and unions in recent years.
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students → say → years
“It has been difficult for the government to meet with interlocutors and try to have dialogue with social partners,” he said.
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he → meet → partners
Robi Morder, a researcher on social movements in France, said the lack of communication reflects the current government’s approach.
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lack → say → approach
“In 1990 and 1998, governments were led by socialists and leftists.
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governments → lead → socialists
So when there was an issue, the government knew how to negotiate.
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government → be → ?
In 1990, the president himself received a delegation of students,” said Morder.
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Morder → receive → students
“We are not in the same situation because the government is not only from the other side politically, but they also don’t have the experience of the old political class,” he added.
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he → have → class
“They don’t know how to negotiate a social conflict.
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They → know → conflict
The government’s first answer is, ‘It is nothing; we will call the police, and everything will be OK.’
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everything → call → police
Student organisers say they are frustrated because they feel the government is not taking them seriously.
“This is too much.
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This → say → them
We have been making these demands for years.
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We → make → years
We need more money for education, we need more teachers, we need better facilities,” said Chloe Grunenwald, vice president of the Federation of the General Association of Students (FAGE), the largest organisation of its kind in France, representing some 300,000 students.
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Grunenwald → need → students
When interviewed by Al Jazeera, several students said they had joined recent protests in solidarity with those who first took to the streets.
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who → interview → streets
The broadening of the coalition is illustrated by the fact that both Grunenwald and Cohen-Morzadec represent university unions rallying in support of high school pupils.
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Grunenwald → illustrate → pupils
Smith and Morder spoke of the differences between now and 1968.
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Smith → speak → 1968
“This school year started very differently.
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year → start → ?
The never-ending heatwaves is one thing that really provoked it and made it catch fire.
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it → end → fire
We had classrooms with over 40 people in temperatures exceeding 40 degrees [Celsius;104 Fahrenheit].
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We → have → degrees
That is untenable,” Smith said.
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Smith → say → ?
Protest organisers and unions have also complained about what they see as police brutality.
“Unfortunately, the media are talking about how bins are being burnt, schools are being blocked, and how it is a form of violence.
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it → complain → violence
The real violence is actually coming from the government side,” said Cohen-Morzadec.
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Morzadec → come → side
In a sign of conciliation, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu on Wednesday said, “Students must be heard,” while Interior Minister Laurent Nunez ordered police to suspend the use of stun grenades against protesting high school pupils.
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Nunez → say → pupils
But those moves might not be enough to calm the anger.
uncertain
moves → calm → anger
“We are going to mobilise until we get our demands, especially because we have October 17 and November 20 – as an international date for the youth in all Europe to mobilise for our future, so we want to continue at least until those dates, if not further,” said Cohen-Morzadec.
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Morzadec → go → dates
Nationwide strikes and antigovernment demonstrations are scheduled for October 17, expected to bring together a large number of unions to air their grievances against soaring energy and food prices, proposed budget cuts, and freezes on public sector salaries.
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strikes → schedule → salaries
The strikes are backed by the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) party, led by Jean-Luc Melenchon, and the country’s main labour union, known by its French acronym, CGT.
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strikes → back → acronym
Critics have accused the LFI and Melenchon of inciting violence to score points against the government, an accusation they and protest organisers deny.
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they → accuse → accusation
We are fighting for our rights and our demonstrations are passive.
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demonstrations → fight → rights
We are not working on behalf of anyone else,” said Grunenwald.
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Grunenwald → work → anyone
Student unions have published a list of 10 demands they say will cost the government 1 billion euros ($1.1bn), and have promised to keep up the pressure until all those requirements are met.
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requirements → publish → pressure
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
