More French protests expected – Thunberg joins in

 

Elin Swedenmark/TT

 

Published 09.45

 

Young people protesting in Nice. Photo: Agneta Liljeqvist/TT

French students feel the government has offered mere "crumbs" in response to the protests. Demonstrations are now expected across the country once again—and Greta Thunberg is joining the movement.

"Act 5" is set to begin on Tuesday, despite the government's various attempts to calm the situation.

Education official Édouard Geffray has promised, among other things, to urgently deploy 3,000 substitute teachers to the high schools with the greatest need—a measure that has already begun, according to *Le Monde*.

The student union USL has declared this insufficient and called for further protests. A march is scheduled to depart from Place d’Italie in Paris today, heading toward Les Invalides—located not far from Matignon (the Prime Minister's residence) and the Ministry of Education. Calls for separate protests are also circulating on social media.

Greta Thunberg has now joined the movement as well; she has been spotted among demonstrators outside the Paul-Éluard high school in Saint-Denis, AFP reports.

According to the Ministry of Education, around 200 schools are expected to close today. On Monday, 130 schools were affected, compared to 172 closures late last week. Education official Édouard Geffray maintains that the protests are subsiding.

"We are seeing a decrease compared to previous weeks," he says. Demonstrations are planned across the country today—in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Toulouse, and Bordeaux.