Protests in France rage on, as students and teachers continue to raise awareness of staff shortages, poor school infrastructure, defective equipment, and deeper anxieties over diminishing prospects and the cost-of-living crisis.
This week, on Tuesday, more than 480,000 protestors took to the streets across France (according to the inter-union of high-school and university group), with placards which read: “Nos lycées tombent en ruines, comme nos espoirs” (“Our schools, like our hopes, are falling into ruin”) and “Diplômés aujourd’hui, précaires demain” (“Graduates today, insecurity tomorrow”).
Since the nationwide movement began in September, acts of violence have been reported, with one teenager losing their hand and more than 6,800 youngsters taken into temporary police custody.
According to the government, 147 National Education staff members have been injured, and nearly 40 investigations have been launched into alleged acts of violence committed by the police against protesters.
Public figures have been expressing their support for the protests, including environmental activist Greta Thunberg, NBA star Victor Wembanyama, singer Louane, and celebrated actor Vincent Lindon, who stars in the recently released Victor Hugo adaptation, Les Misérables. The actor praised the movement in French outlet Le Parisien: “These are young people who want chairs to sit on […] decent, functional sanitary facilities, and the fair distribution of resources – and therefore opportunities.”
Lindon added: “I have children who went through middle school, high school, and so on, and it is true that this is one of the first times the younger generation is legitimately asserting demands and rights in the face of a state that currently lacks the funds to buy social peace.”
Before a major countrywide mobilisation takes place this Saturday, with more than half a million people expected to take to the streets, further public figures have been speaking out. The latest is French actor Omar Sy.
During a guest spot on France Inter, the star of The Intouchables, Jurassic World: Dominion and the hit Netflix show Lupin, criticised the authorities’ handling of the protests and called for the demands of students to be listened to, first and foremost.
“These are our kids; it is the future of our country that is speaking out to a nation that is completely adrift,” said Sy.
The actor condemned the violence surrounding the protests, adding: “When I see that there’s no response to this, and that the immediate instinct is to stop them from speaking out, or to beat them up, or even to pit them against one another in childish brawls, I find it appalling.”
Sy added: “I ask myself: where are the adults in charge? What is our role, as adults, as parents? What are we actually doing to our children? Instead of jumping straight to reprimanding, punishing, or correcting them, or forcing them to face off against one another, we aren’t listening to them at all.”
“In fact, it’s even worse. We tell them to be quiet, and then we expect them to reach an agreement on their own. We don’t even know what they have to say.”
The police response to the protests has also drawn criticism from human rights organisations, with Amnesty International denouncing a “disproportionate” use of force, while the UN Human Rights Office has expressed concern, calling for de-escalation.