France: New Wave of Student Protests with Greta Thunberg and Thousands Detained

A new wave of student protests demanding better educational conditions began in France on Tuesday, amid fears from authorities and participants that more violence could erupt.

Swedish activist Greta Thunberg (23 years old), who became famous during her teenage years for organizing school strikes to demand action against climate change, participated in the protests, according to "AFP".

Thunberg appeared outside Paul Eluard High School in Saint-Denis, one of the largest suburbs of the French capital Paris, while lawyers wearing robes formed a human chain to protect teenagers, following accusations of police violence against them.

Thunberg told AFP: "Young people are not included in the dialogue. Our future is being stolen from us."

The movements, supported by labor unions and the far-left opposition party "La France Insoumise", are scheduled to include a march in Paris on Tuesday afternoon, along with marches in other cities.

The student union said via the platform "X": "They do not listen to us, so we will confront them."

More than 70,000 people participated last Thursday in high school student demonstrations as part of a protest movement that started at the end of September.

French authorities had hoped that the protests would begin to subside before the mid-term break.

Education Minister Edouard Geffray told "France Inter" radio on Tuesday morning that "it is expected that 200 schools will be closed, which is fewer than recorded last week," while some shops near protest routes closed their doors in anticipation of damage.

In the Paris region, teenagers blocked entrances to several schools before dawn.

In the southern French city of Marseille, students pushed mobile trash containers in front of their high school.

Deteriorating Educational Conditions
High school students denounce the poor state of school buildings, overcrowded classrooms, and the absence of teachers without replacements, especially in working-class neighborhoods.

The protests saw teenagers piling up waste containers and setting fire to barriers in front of hundreds of high schools out of the 3,700 in France, which enroll students aged between 15 and 18.

Although the protests were largely peaceful, they witnessed sporadic clashes with the police.

The Ministry of Education announced that eight members of the teaching staff were injured on Monday, mostly in the Paris region and the cities of Bordeaux and Lyon, in connection with the protests.

Leo, a 19-year-old student studying graphic design in Paris, said: "Students are not listened to enough, and what they raise before the authorities and elected officials is not taken into consideration."

He added that the demonstrators, including many minors, "are disturbed by the level of repression that no student movement has seen before."

6,800 People Detained
Authorities reported that fireworks launched during the protests caused injuries to two school workers in Reims, another worker in a school in a Paris suburb, and a police officer in front of a school in Marseille.

Tuesday's pro-student demonstrations are set to be followed by broader popular mobilizations next Saturday, protesting rising living costs.

Naila, a 17-year-old student from Rennes, expressed hope that these movements would "meet" with the larger demonstration scheduled for Saturday.

French President Emmanuel Macron urged protesters to show restraint in statements to journalists on Monday from a car exhibition.

Macron said, "These issues deserve time, consultation, discussion, and respect."

The Ministry of Justice reported that more than 6,800 people, most of whom are minors, were detained by police during the protests.

Police opened internal investigations regarding 24 allegations of using violence against demonstrators.

The government promised to hire around 3,000 substitute teachers in the coming days to compensate for teacher absences in the 114 most affected high schools.

The Education Minister noted on Tuesday that 35% of the planned substitute teachers have been appointed.

Students are demanding an increase in funding allocated to secondary education by 10 billion euros ($11 billion).