French presidential campaign heats up as student protests fuel political clashes
Students and public-sector workers are protesting planned budget cuts as officials report 164 arrests and more than 330 affected schools.
- On Monday, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned that escalating student protests are "irresponsible" following the arrest of 164 individuals. Across France, 180 schools faced disruptions, with 12 students, 12 security personnel, and three staff members injured.
- Protesters cite 10 years of President Emmanuel Macron's policies, citing teacher shortages, dilapidated schools, and Parcoursup stress. The Union Syndicale Lycéenne called the blockades a "legitimate response" to systemic neglect in the education system.
- Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez described demonstrations as "urban violence" involving masked individuals with fireworks and projectiles. BFMTV reported that in one incident, a police officer fired a grenade launcher, injuring a high school student in Alpes-Maritimes.
- Lecornu accused the far-left France Unbowed party of encouraging unrest, while LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon blamed the government for having "ordered the crackdown," calling students "harmless." The clash reflects intensifying political divisions.
- These clashes occur as the government attempts to pass a 2027 state budget through the National Assembly amid divided political support. Simultaneously, unions representing civil servants and hospital staff initiated walkouts, compounding pressure on Lecornu's administration.
179 Articles
179 Articles
High school students are demanding better school conditions. The police have used tear gas and batons.
The announcement of the Minister of the Interior after the violent clashes with the police (ANSA)
Students protest and public sector workers strike ahead of French budget
Protests by French high school students demanding better conditions have spread from Paris to the rest of the country.
The police have used batons and tear gas in some of the demonstrations.
Bad equipment, too large classes, inequality: For days, French students have been blowing up their displeasure in protest. Some now joined officials who went to the streets against the government's austerity policy. By Julia Borutta.
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