Greta Thunberg joins protests over French school conditions
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg joined a demonstration outside a high school in a working-class suburb of Paris on Tuesday as French pupils took to the streets for another day of protests over poor conditions, reports BritPanorama.
Now in its fourth week, the nationwide movement aims to highlight teacher shortages, classroom overcrowding, and the dilapidation of facilities. The protests have involved marches, blockades of hundreds of schools and, in some instances, clashes with police.
Pupils gathered outside several schools in Paris and other cities during the morning hours, brandishing placards and megaphones while chanting slogans. Marches were also planned for later in the day.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray stated on France Inter radio that approximately 200 schools were closed, with some closures attributed to safety precautions related to planned marches.
Thunberg, known for her activism against climate change, expressed solidarity with the French pupils, stating they deserved greater support. “They should know that all over the world we are following these developments. We are inspired by the young people who are demanding their basic rights,” she told reporters outside Lycee Paul Eluard in Saint-Denis, where the protest movement first gained traction.
“Whether it’s not funding schools enough, or the climate crisis, or social injustice crises … it’s about time that young people are stepping up and reclaiming that future,” she continued.
Thunberg also condemned the police response to the protests, calling it an “extremely violent” action indicative of authorities protecting the status quo while neglecting the needs of young people. Riot police have employed tear gas and charged at protesters, leading to hundreds of injuries and thousands of arrests.
The government suspended the use of stun grenades last week after a teenager lost a hand during a protest. While left-wing politicians have criticized police tactics, far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen and others have accused violent protesters of causing damage to schools and harming staff and police officers.
This protest movement has occurred amidst a climate of uncertainty in France, just six months before a presidential election that could result in the first far-right government since World War Two, led by Le Pen’s National Rally.
The financially constrained government has acknowledged the students’ concerns, but faces significant challenges as rising national debt and budget deficits are increasing borrowing costs to their highest levels in years.
Le Pen, currently the frontrunner to succeed President Emmanuel Macron according to opinion polls, has proposed significant spending cuts to regain control over public finances.
