French school children on strike

More than 600 people detained, many of them students and dozens of gendarmes injured.
The French PM has convened a crisis meeting.

Jaxjacky

More than 600 people detained, many of them students and dozens of gendarmes injured.
The French PM has convened a crisis meeting.

That sounds bloody awful!

Yes, it sounds bad.

But French school pupils are no strangers to striking, especially at the start of the academic year. They are masters of blockades and demonstrations, though this one sounds as though it is on a bigger and more violent scale throughout France.

Perhaps some UK schoolchildren should protest more about the shocking state of the schools they have to inhabit daily, they are breathing in mould spores and are in danger from crumbling buildings.

I have just been watching footage of these demonstrations on the breakfast news, fires and barricades featuring along with riot police deployed.

They interviewed a teacher who had positioned herself between the students and police to try and protect the teenagers.

MartavTaurus

Yes, it sounds bad.

But French school pupils are no strangers to striking, especially at the start of the academic year. They are masters of blockades and demonstrations, though this one sounds as though it is on a bigger and more violent scale throughout France.

The French are masters of the street fires and barricades aren’t they? It’s their default setting for anything they don’t like.

GrannyGravy13

I have just been watching footage of these demonstrations on the breakfast news, fires and barricades featuring along with riot police deployed.

They interviewed a teacher who had positioned herself between the students and police to try and protect the teenagers.

Daft teacher.

I do think the French like a strike r a demonstration.

I can’t imagine kids here going on strike. They do get taken to protest marches with their parents sometimes. I think the schools round here are absolutely wonderful compared with the awful dumps I attended. Concrete, concrete and more concrete. Here they are surrounded by fields and have lovely modern buildings, canteens, outdoor furniture, cubby houses, gymnasiums etc. They pour money into them all the time.

The Australian Government obviously believes in investing in the future generation, nanna8.
I can't imagine politicians here putting up with some of the conditions our schoolchildren and their teachers have to put up with daily.

Thankfully my grandchildren's schools and college are modern buildings. They're the lucky ones.

There seems to be a general school of thought, bu some ministers and teachers, that the protests have been infiltrated and many aren’t students.

Cossy

I do think the French like a strike r a demonstration.

And in a way you have to admire their passion for a protest. It's all part of their culture and history. They believe that street manifestations keep the government in check, but it's not good when things get violent.

It's what they do they're French. It's probably written into their constitution somewhere. It all starts in kindergarten where Lego and Duplo are used in the construction of mini barricades to frame future scenarios then a little singalong to The Marseillaise finally finishing in a whoop whoop to la liberte, fraternite, egalite! after which the little uns' are free to return to their former repose of thumb or dummy in the mouth.

It’s all gone quiet now but originally students were saying they were fed up with overcrowded classes due to the large number of immigrant kids in French schools.

TerriBull

It's what they do they're French. It's probably written into their constitution somewhere. It all starts in kindergarten where Lego and Duplo are used in the construction of mini barricades to frame future scenarios then a little singalong to The Marseillaise finally finishing in a whoop whoop to la liberte, fraternite, egalite! after which the little uns' are free to return to their former repose of thumb or dummy in the mouth.

Les Misérables are manning the barricades again!

The French people don’t sit on their hands I remember when the government threatened to up the pensionable age - which I believe is much lower than ours - which led to protests in the street. No such thing occurred for the Waspi women, and now if you are 65 years old your pensionable age is 67.
Will be 70 next thing we know.

Primrose53

It’s all gone quiet now but originally students were saying they were fed up with overcrowded classes due to the large number of immigrant kids in French schools.

Ah, that'll be it.

Primrose53

It’s all gone quiet now but originally students were saying they were fed up with overcrowded classes due to the large number of immigrant kids in French schools.

Whete was this please? Can’t find the info in any French news or papers. Thanks

I believe Melonchon has got his "mains" all over it has been encouraging it somewhat! Protest is all well and good but not when violence is involved and people get hurt as one police woman did. I believe the teachers were the ones having to barricade themselves in. Politicians shouldn't be encouraging civil unrest.

I think the French were unrealistic in their pension expectations Macron knew the earlier retirement age was un affordable and of course his reforms have made him very unpopular. Individual state of health comes into play as to wanting to retire and to expect people to work beyond 65 with a possible further increase to even 70 is not a great prospect for many.

Melonchon Melenchon

Although it sounds as if many pupils have legitimate complaints and the Government has not listened to them, some are dismayed at what is happening. For example, a nearly new lycée, the Nelson-Mandela in Nantes, was damaged and students claim that protestors came from elsewhere to blockade the school and start a fire there.

The French Government needs to listen and not just try to blame the parents, as the Justice Minister has done. He wants parents to be liable for the damage caused.

A French friend taking public exams in her school in the 1960s joined a sit in. They were all excused the exams and given passing grades. Why didn’t we think of that! It’s always niggled.

Jaxjacky

Primrose53

It’s all gone quiet now but originally students were saying they were fed up with overcrowded classes due to the large number of immigrant kids in French schools.

Whete was this please? Can’t find the info in any French news or papers. Thanks

I guess it's possible to see a connection because the protests started in a run down, immigrant heavy area of Paris. I think the population of Créteil is over 25% immigrant.

Inevitably, these districts have a chronic shortage of experienced teachers. The inexperienced, newly qualified teachers are often plonked in difficult schools, then go sick or leave due to stress, so class sizes rise.

It's very difficult to become a teacher in a lycée in France, due to the point system. You have to spend 5 years training after which time the pay is poor too. You cannot freely choose the exact public lycée where you work in France, so it's very tough as you can be placed anywhere. In Créteil, for example, a lot of the staff are temporary contract teachers. I'm not saying they are worse teachers, but they themselves are often foreigners and haven't been through the rigorous French selection.

The whole thing is a bit of a tinderbox situation where a small trigger can set off these massive protests, and I'm sure the fire is then stoked by different politicians with their own agenda.

Why are they talking about "students" rather than "pupils"? It's confusing. Students go to college and university. Pupils go to schools.