What began as a nationwide student movement over education funding and poor school conditions has escalated into clashes in the French capital.
asserted
began → begin → capital
Students barricaded a high school in northeastern Paris on Thursday, as police fired tear gas as protests showed few signs of easing.
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protests → barricade → easing
The Hélène Boucher high school became the latest flashpoint in the unrest as students used rubbish bins to block its entrance and riot police gathered in nearby streets.
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police → become → streets
The confrontation came as hundreds of high school and university students took to the streets in Paris, with a major demonstration planned from Place de la République towards Place de la Bastille.
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hundreds → come → Bastille
The latest escalation came after days of disruption across France.
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escalation → come → France
More than 6,600 people have been arrested since late September, when mostly under-18 students began protesting over education funding and conditions in schools, according to the Interior Ministry.
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students → arrest → Ministry
The Education Ministry said 375 schools were fully or partially closed on Thursday.
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schools → say → Thursday
At least a dozen demonstrations supporting the student movement were also planned across France on Thursday, underlining the widening scale of the protests.
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demonstrations → support → protests
Many protesters in Paris wore surgical masks or hoodies, apparently to avoid being identified.
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protesters → wear → masks
As the crowd gathered near Hélène Boucher, police surrounded a nearby square and fired tear gas after protesters surged.
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protesters → gather → gas
Anger over schools, police response
The protests have been driven by complaints over underfunded schools, ageing facilities and staff shortages.
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protests → drive → schools
But the movement has also drawn trade unions and political groups, as well as troublemakers whose actions have led to clashes and damage.
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actions → draw → clashes
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu sought to condemn the violence in a televised address, citing attacks on students and staff, injuries to police officers and gendarmes, and schools being set on fire or vandalized.
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Lecornu → seek → fire
“We cannot play with the safety of France’s youth,” Lecornu said.
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Lecornu → play → youth
He also criticised “political leaders who use this anger to conduct their electoral battles.”
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who → criticise → battles
France is due to hold a presidential election in April.
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France → hold → April
At Place de la République, smoke from burning rubbish hung in the air as students prepared to march towards Bastille.
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students → burn → Bastille
Protesters carried signs bearing their schools’ names and placards reading “More money for repression than for our education” and “Who protects us from the police?”
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Who → carry → police
“We’re here, we’re demonstrating, and we won’t stop.
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we → ’re → ?
Nothing will stop us,” said Sofia Ferdials, 18, a student at Paris 8 University.
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Ferdials → stop → University
Students say protests will continue
The unrest has raised concerns over both school conditions and the police response.
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unrest → say → conditions
Emma Khelil, an 18-year-old university student who returned to her former high school to support the protesters, said she was worried about police violence.
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she → return → violence
“We’re here to defend our rights, not to lose an eye or a hand,” Khelil said.
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Khelil → ’re → eye
She said she had seen insulation problems and water leaks at the school and had occasionally seen rats.
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she → say → rats
Khelil also rejected the idea that the government's response would end the movement.
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response → reject → movement
“I don’t think the movement is going to lose momentum.
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movement → think → momentum
As long as things don’t change, we’re going to see the movement grow stronger, and potentially a convergence of struggles, especially with the next presidential election coming up,” she said.
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she → change → struggles
Dounia Gergeon, a 39-year-old school librarian who joined the Bastille demonstration, said young people felt increasingly unsupported.
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people → join → demonstration
“They do not feel supported,” she said.
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she → feel → ?
“They feel cornered and forced to work under these conditions.”
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They → feel → conditions
Unrest spreads beyond France
The protests have also inspired student unrest in Belgium and Italy.
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protests → spread → Belgium
In Belgium, authorities in Liege banned public gatherings until midnight on October 16 after clashes involving several hundred protesters.
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authorities → ban → protesters
Police used water cannon and tear gas on Wednesday, nearly 90 people were arrested and several officers were injured.
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officers → use → Wednesday
The Belgian protests include demands for more teachers and smaller classes, as well as opposition to education reforms.
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protests → include → reforms
Protesters have also referred directly to the events in France.
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Protesters → refer → France
In Italy, students have occupied schools and organised marches in several cities.
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students → occupy → cities
Activists have invoked the French movement with the slogan “let’s do as they do in France”.
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they → invoke → France
In Turin, students occupied several high schools over building conditions, education funding and increased military spending.
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students → occupy → conditions
In Rome, students occupied one school and walked out of another, while students in Naples also protested against a planned migrant detention centre.
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students → occupy → centre
The Aporia
