Tens of thousands expected in Paris for high school protests

Protesters outside the Lycee Turgot high school in Paris on Oct 5. Students have blocked the entrances to hundreds of high schools since late September.

PARIS - Tens of thousands of demonstrators are expected on the streets of Paris on Oct 6 as France’s powerful trade unions join high school students rallying for better conditions in a wave of protests marked by clashes with the police.

Students have blocked the entrances to hundreds of high schools attended by those aged 15 to 17 since late September, complaining of missing teachers, overloaded timetables, dilapidated classrooms and buildings that cannot cope with rising temperatures.

While many protests have been peaceful, some demonstrators have lit dustbin fires, destroyed bus shelters or clashed with riot police, who have responded with batons, tear gas and riot-control rounds.

The government says 215 students and 715 police officers have been injured since the start of the movement, with a 15-year-old losing a hand on Oct 5 after, according to a police union source, he picked up a sting-ball grenade fired by riot officers.

The unrest has erupted with just months to go before the 2027 election to choose a successor to centrist President Emmanuel Macron after his maximum two terms in office.

More protests are expected across the country on Oct 6 after teaching was disrupted at 589 of the country’s 3,700 lycees and 32 universities, according to the education ministry and a student union.

The authorities are expecting some 20,000 to 40,000 demonstrators in Paris.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s office has called for “peaceful” gatherings, calling for a return to “a structured, legal and democratic form of opposition”.

The head of the CGT labour union Sophie Binet has said its members would be there to “protect high-school students”.

Several unions and rights groups have accused the police of using disproportionate force against the protesters.

Amnesty International said late on Oct 5 that the French authorities should “put an end to the disproportionate police repression seen in recent days during student protests”.

“The images and testimonies widely circulated over the past week raise alarming concerns about the dangerous use of tear gas, batons and policing techniques by the police,” Amnesty’s Anne Savinel-Barras said.

The police have launched 10 internal investigations into allegations of brutality since the protests started, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said late on Oct 5.

The government has sought to address the grievances, while accusing the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party of being behind the movement.

Veteran LFI presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon has strongly supported the protests, while calling for non-violent methods.

Since the start of the movement, 24 schools have been burned or ransacked, according to the education ministry.

More than 5,000 people, 87% of them minors, have been arrested.

Lecornu’s office said 85 teaching staff have also been injured.

The prime minister has sought to address the issue of missing teachers and renovating buildings that are dilapidated.

The government is also pushing legislation to make those responsible for damaging public property pay for repairs themselves, instead of using public funds.

Lecornu has said the draft law could allow compensation payments to be recovered from family allowances and housing benefits while ensuring a minimum income.

Union leader Binet has said it would “end up targeting the most vulnerable families”. AFP