Outside a high school in Seine-St.-Denis, a working-class suburb north of Paris, about 100 students protested overcrowded classrooms and crumbling facilities on Thursday. A banner at Rosa Parks High School read, "We’re skipping lessons so we can teach you one." Police looked on as students chanted, though tensions remained high. The protest movement has swept across France, resulting in 3,000 arrests and injuries to nearly 400 police officers and over 230 students and staff.
On Thursday, more than 1,000 schools saw protests, with 220 blockaded, according to the French Interior Ministry. Students cited poor ventilation and absent teachers. The poverty rate in Seine-St.-Denis is twice the national average, according to a 2023 report, and student test scores lag behind other districts.
Moustapha Saouré, a local teacher, said, "We’re so underfunded that we never know when the spark will catch." French officials accuse the far-left party France Unbowed of whipping up protests for political purposes. Bally Bagayoko, recently elected mayor of St.-Denis and a rising star of the party, attended the rally and tried to prevent violence. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned against exploiting student anger for partisan ends.
The government promised an online platform for students to voice demands as elections approach in eight months.
Source: New York Times Top Stories · Summarized by HeadlinesBriefing