French Students Defy Ban: 41 Schools Blocked as Strikes Loom
(MENAFN) French authorities pressed students on Monday to stand down from school blockades as student and high school groups took to the streets again after a two-week holiday break, undeterred by concessions announced last week to end the protest movement.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray urged demonstrators to let pupils return to classrooms, calling the resumption of lessons an “absolute priority.”
In an interview with a national radio broadcaster, Geffray conceded that students have a right to demonstrate but insisted protests must not stop others from getting an education. He warned that the continuing unrest could jeopardize the school year and reminded protesters that blocking access to educational institutions is illegal.
“You can’t prevent your classmates from going to class,” he added.
BLOCKADES CLUSTERED IN KEY REGIONS
Geffray said the reported blockades were concentrated mainly in the Ile-de-France region, northern France and the southwestern city of Toulouse.
Early Monday, a blockade was reported outside Helene-Boucher High School in Paris’ 20th arrondissement, one of the main hubs of the student protest movement, according to a French broadcaster. Around 20 students stacked trash bins in front of the entrance, cutting off access to classrooms.
Police are set to bolster their presence around schools to safeguard security and support the educational community after violence marred earlier demonstrations.
By early Monday, 41 high schools, about 1% of schools nationwide, were blockaded, while no disruptions had been reported in 75% of Education Departments, the Education Ministry said.
The renewed mobilization comes despite a package of measures announced last Monday to end protests that began in mid-September.
UNIONS CALL NATIONWIDE STRIKE ON NOV. 5
Separately, French trade unions have called for nationwide demonstrations and strike action on Nov. 5, demanding higher wages and steps to tackle the rising cost of living.
The mobilization is expected to draw private-sector employees, civil servants, retirees and young people, Sophie Binet, secretary-general of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), told a French broadcaster.
She said unions are demanding wage increases across all sectors and a rewrite of the government’s draft budget, which she described as “a disaster for the country.”
Education Minister Edouard Geffray urged demonstrators to let pupils return to classrooms, calling the resumption of lessons an “absolute priority.”
In an interview with a national radio broadcaster, Geffray conceded that students have a right to demonstrate but insisted protests must not stop others from getting an education. He warned that the continuing unrest could jeopardize the school year and reminded protesters that blocking access to educational institutions is illegal.
“You can’t prevent your classmates from going to class,” he added.
BLOCKADES CLUSTERED IN KEY REGIONS
Geffray said the reported blockades were concentrated mainly in the Ile-de-France region, northern France and the southwestern city of Toulouse.
Early Monday, a blockade was reported outside Helene-Boucher High School in Paris’ 20th arrondissement, one of the main hubs of the student protest movement, according to a French broadcaster. Around 20 students stacked trash bins in front of the entrance, cutting off access to classrooms.
Police are set to bolster their presence around schools to safeguard security and support the educational community after violence marred earlier demonstrations.
By early Monday, 41 high schools, about 1% of schools nationwide, were blockaded, while no disruptions had been reported in 75% of Education Departments, the Education Ministry said.
The renewed mobilization comes despite a package of measures announced last Monday to end protests that began in mid-September.
UNIONS CALL NATIONWIDE STRIKE ON NOV. 5
Separately, French trade unions have called for nationwide demonstrations and strike action on Nov. 5, demanding higher wages and steps to tackle the rising cost of living.
The mobilization is expected to draw private-sector employees, civil servants, retirees and young people, Sophie Binet, secretary-general of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT), told a French broadcaster.
She said unions are demanding wage increases across all sectors and a rewrite of the government’s draft budget, which she described as “a disaster for the country.”
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