Students blockaded dozens of high schools and universities across France on Tuesday to maintain pressure on the government over education reforms as trade unions prepared for a nationwide strike. After returning from a two-week autumn break, some students resumed their protest campaign Monday, calling on authorities to renovate dilapidated schools, reduce class sizes and create more university places. Authorities said Tuesday that 48 out of France’s 3,700 high schools were blocked amid tight security, including in Paris, Rennes, and Lyon. The USL student union said 500 establishments were blocked. Fifty-one higher education institutions out of 184 were also disrupted, officials said. The USL union denounced what it called heavy-handed tactics, with “young people pinned against walls and riot police units deployed” outside schools. A union representative said authorities appeared to want to blunt a new day of blockades on Thursday when trade unions have called a nationwide strike. In the northwestern city of Rennes, around 30 students blocked the Brequigny High School, one of the country’s largest secondary schools with thousands of students. ‘Nothing else worked’ Tensions quickly flared between students and a member of the school administration. “You are not the majority,” the staff member protested. “If we’re doing this, it’s because everything we’ve tried before hasn’t worked,” a student replied. At a school in the southwestern city of Toulouse, students brandished placards, one saying “Angry, not far right.” “Young people are sticking it to the education system,” read another, in a nod to the lyrics of a popular protest song against the far right. In eastern Paris, many teachers at the Voltaire School showed solidarity with students by going on strike to protest at what they called a “massive” police presence outside. The school protests have fuelled a movement against soaring prices and inadequate public services, which has drawn hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets over the past three weekends and led to some of the worst unrest seen in France in years on October 17. The school movement has inspired students in other European countries, including Italy and Spain, where the French word “blocus” (blockade) has become a hashtag. Last week, the French government unveiled measures aimed at addressing some of the students’ demands, including the replacement of the university admissions platform, which has been criticized for a lack of transparency. Student leaders say the proposals do not go far enough, demanding 10 billion euros in investment. ‘Doing it for France’ With the European Union’s second-largest economy on the brink of recession and under pressure to reduce its debt, authorities have little room to quell student anger with additional spending. The student union L’Union Etudiante said one university in two was affected Tuesday and that over 50 campuses had been blockaded. At the University of Lille in the north, around 40 students used bicycles and trash bins to block the campus, leading to the cancellation of classes. “There’s a massive national mobilisation under way,” said Gauthier Capiez, a third-year political science student. “If next year we manage to get rid of Parcoursup, among other things, then it will all have been worth it,” he said, referring to the university admissions platform. A first-year master’s student in international law, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said she was worried about her future but felt protesting was necessary. “I’m doing it for France, and I’m doing it for future students, for my future children if I have any one day,” she said. On Monday, authorities said 42 high schools were blocked. Student unions put the figure at 169. About 15 per cent of higher education institutions were affected Monday, officials said. By Aurelie Mayembo with AFP bureaus
