Greta Thunberg Joins French Students in Nationwide Education Protests

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has lent her support to ongoing French student protests, joining demonstrators at the Lycee Paul Eluard in Saint-Denis, on the outskirts of Paris. The students are participating in a nationwide mobilization demanding improved conditions within educational facilities.

Thunberg was present at the Paul Eluard high school on Tuesday morning, standing alongside students engaged in the demonstration. She expressed her concerns to the AFP news agency, stating, “Young people are not being included in the conversation. Our future is being robbed away from us.”

The protests, which began late last month, have seen students advocating for a range of improvements, including better school building maintenance, addressing teacher shortages, managing crowded class schedules, and other systemic issues within the education sector. In solidarity, lawyers in robes formed a human chain to shield teenagers amidst numerous allegations of police brutality during previous demonstrations.

Students have employed tactics such as piling up bins and erecting security barriers outside numerous schools across France. A significant protest event last Thursday saw over 70,000 participants take to the streets. Tuesday’s demonstration, supported by unions and the left-wing opposition party France Unbowed, includes a planned march through Paris and similar marches in other cities.

The university student union, l’Union, voiced their frustration on X, saying, “They’re not listening to us, so we’re going to them.”

Education Minister Edouard Geffray reported on France Inter that approximately 200 schools were closed on Tuesday, a decrease from the previous week, with some closures near protest routes implemented to prevent damage. The Ministry of National Education also confirmed that eight members of teaching staff sustained injuries on Monday, primarily in the Paris region, Bordeaux, and Lyon, as a result of the protests.

Leo, a 19-year-old graphic design student in Paris, shared with AFP on Monday that students feel their voices and proposals are not sufficiently heard by authorities and elected officials. He also noted the protesters, many of whom are minors, are disturbed by the unprecedented level of repression experienced by a student movement.

Following Tuesday's demonstrations in support of the students, wider public rallies against the rising cost of living are scheduled for Saturday. French President Emmanuel Macron urged protesters to exercise restraint on Monday, stating, “These are issues that deserve time, consultations, discussion and respect.”

According to the Ministry of Justice, over 6,800 individuals, predominantly minors, have been taken into police custody since the protests began. The police have also initiated investigations into 24 allegations of brutality against demonstrators.