Protests in Europe: “We’re doing what they’re doing in France”

 

Malin Carlsson/TT, Elin Swedenmark/TT

 

Published 07.49

         

         A demonstrator runs past a car set on fire during protests in Paris on Tuesday. Photo: Thibault                     Camus/AP/TT

Europe is being shaken by demonstrations—many led by students and teachers.

Across a number of countries on the continent, young people are now demanding their right to a better education and a brighter future.

“We’re doing what they’re doing in France”—this is the slogan now echoing in Italian schools. In Turin, Rome, Naples, and Genoa, students have organized occupations, halted classes, and held special thematic gatherings at their high schools.

“Money for schools, not for war,” chant the young people, who say they want to follow the French example.

“French students are demonstrating in practice that, through collective struggle, it is possible to impose one’s will upon a political class that is—or at least appears to be—deaf to such demands,” write high school students at a school in Turin in a manifesto, according to *Corriere della Sera*.

Lost a hand

In France, the protests have been ongoing for weeks—and the perceived police brutality has only spurred the young people on further. A 15-year-old boy in the town of Lens, in northern France, had his left hand blown off after being struck by a police-fired grenade during protests outside his school last week. 

Since the protests began, French Minister of Education Édouard Geffrey has promised 3,000 additional teachers for the most disadvantaged schools—but the education movement does not appear to consider this sufficient.

Furthermore, this French anger is merging with other movements. On Saturday, the "Yellow Vests" (Gilets Jaunes) are expected to protest against the high cost of living, and students have been invited to join them.

Belgium has also been hit by widespread protests, with groups including teachers and students demanding better conditions. Ahead of the weekend, companies have removed their electric scooters from the streets of Brussels as a precautionary measure, following the destruction of dozens of the scooters last week.

In Spain, an indefinite teachers' strike has broken out. Students are marching alongside their teachers, demanding that more resources be allocated to ensure "high-quality" education.

"A revolution is needed"

In Tirana, the capital of Albania, young people have also gathered to demand better conditions at universities and brighter prospects in the job market. Broader protests against corruption have been ongoing there for some time, with calls for the resignation of Prime Minister Edi Rama.

Clashes between young people and the police have been violent, and the Ministry of Education was partially set on fire. The police have responded with tear gas and water cannons.

"What Albania needs is a revolution—a change, the overthrow of the system. Because things cannot go on like this," one protester told Reuters.

Facts

French student protests

In mid-September, French teachers and students gathered to speak out against staff shortages at a secondary school in Créteil, on the southeastern outskirts of Paris. The discontent reached more suburbs, and blockades and demonstrations spread across the country. Parents and teachers have also supported the protests.

Large-scale demonstrations have taken place on several occasions in Paris and in around thirty other French cities.

French students want to fundamentally overhaul the education system. They are also calling for more qualified staff, as well as additional nurses, psychologists, and academic advisors. Furthermore, they want to abolish the *Parcoursup* admissions system, which is seen as fueling inequality.