What sparked fiery protests in France, and could unrest spread across Europe?
Student protests widen
The demonstrations began in September, when students at a high school in Creteil, southeast of Paris, protested a lack of staff. Strikes, blockades and rallies then reached other Paris suburbs and towns across France.
Students have also complained about uncomfortable classroom temperatures, exhausting school days and what they consider an unfair, complicated university entrance system. Some university students joined the protests, and hundreds of schools closed after damage or attacks on staff.
Cost of living adds pressure
On Saturday, other groups joined demonstrations over rising living costs and what they describe as a deterioration of the social welfare system. The General Confederation of Labour, one of France’s largest unions, called for lower prices and higher pensions and wages.
Police have used tear gas and batons to disperse crowds. Police and school staff have also faced fireworks and other projectiles; the interior ministry says acid was thrown in some cases and that people intent on destruction and looting joined the high school movement.
Politics and unrest beyond France
Police had made more than 6,600 arrests nationwide as of last week, an unusually high figure for a French protest movement. President Emmanuel Macron called for calm, saying the right to protest came with the “need to respect,” according to Macron.
Candidates seeking to succeed Macron in the April and May presidential election have made the protests a political issue. Macron cannot seek a third consecutive term; Marine Le Pen has called for broader police powers, while former prime minister Edouard Philippe condemned those who “break things, burn things or assault people.” Protests are a familiar feature of French public life, including demonstrations in 1968, suburban unrest in 2005, yellow vest protests in 2018-2019 and rallies against raising the retirement age in 2023. In neighboring Belgium, some schools in Liege closed after violence and arrests there.
Key points
- Student protests over school conditions began in September in Creteil.
- Demonstrations expanded to include grievances over living costs and social welfare.
- More than 6,600 arrests had been made nationwide as of last week.
- Some schools in Belgium’s Liege closed after violence and arrests.