France has been rocked by days of widespread student protests and violent unrest, with approximately 5,000 people arrested and hundreds injured as demonstrations spread to schools across the country.
More than 1,000 schools have been affected by the protests, with over 400 forced to close. Students initially took to the streets over overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating school infrastructure, teacher shortages and what they say is chronic underfunding of the education system.
Some of the demonstrations, however, have descended into violent clashes with police, including fireworks being fired, buildings set ablaze and incidents of looting.
Hundreds of police officers, students and education workers have reportedly been injured.
One of the main centers of the unrest is Seine-Saint-Denis, north of Paris, an area with France’s highest proportion of immigrants and a poverty rate approximately twice the national average.
Students there say conditions at their schools have become intolerable. At Rosa Parks High School, protesters hung a banner reading, “We’re skipping class to teach you a lesson.”
A 15-year-old student said classrooms at his school lack proper ventilation and that students can barely open the windows. Another student said some classrooms designed for 15 students are being used by as many as 35.
France’s Interior Ministry said the demonstrations began as legitimate protests but escalated into dangerous riots.
The French government has accused the left-wing France Unbowed party, led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon, of fueling the unrest ahead of France’s presidential election, which is approximately eight months away.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu accused Mélenchon of exploiting the anger of young people for political purposes, while members of Mélenchon’s party rejected the allegation and argued that the unrest was the result of insufficient resources being provided to schools.
France’s Education Ministry said it will establish an online platform allowing students to submit their demands and describe the problems they face in the country’s schools.
(YWN’s Jerusalem desk is keeping you updated after tzeis ha’Shabbos in Israel)
