Podcast: France's student protests and how they fuelled a larger social movement
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A look at France's high school protests and how they have fed into an ongoing social movement. What are the students protesting against? What impact has the police crackdown had? How has the government reacted? And a comparison with student movements of the past.
Protests kicked off in early September at a high school in Créteil, a working-class suburb east of Paris. Students blocked access to their school, protesting teacher shortages, run-down buildings and the Parcoursup university admissions platform, which they see as too selective, opaque and unfair. The movement grew, drawing in more high schools and university students. Following a massive and sometimes violent demonstration on 17 October and more protests the following week, the government made some concessions. But protests are continuing. High schoolers who've been blockading the Hélène Boucher school in Paris talk about their frustration. (Listen @4'25'')
The government and right-wing politicians have accused the left of hijacking student protests for political gain a few months ahead of what promises to be a contentious presidential election, in which the far right is currently a strong front-runner. And while leftists have joined the demonstrations in support of the students, they say that reducing the protests to partisan politics ignores the underlying issues. Alice de Brito, the 22-year-old vice-president of Unef, one of the main student unions, talks about the need to keep up the pressure and continue the mobilisation. (Listen @9'20'')
Police have cracked down on the protests, sometimes violently. Historian Manon Pignot says the violence has helped to radicalise students and has drawn others into the movement. She talks about how successive French governments have tried to rein in young people, who've been at the forefront of many movements for change from as early as the 19th century. (Listen @24'30'')
The protests have inevitably drawn comparisons with May 1968, when students occupied universities and schools to demand education reforms, and were later joined by workers who called the biggest general strike in French history. Today's high school students have been referencing May '68 in their slogans and signs, pointing to it as a example of young people successfully forcing change. Maryse Esterle, who was 16 at the time, reflects on her own experience of May '68, and political scientist Boris Gobille evokes the similiarities and differences between the two movements. (Listen @18'00)
Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.
Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast app.
Protests kicked off in early September at a high school in Créteil, a working-class suburb east of Paris. Students blocked access to their school, protesting teacher shortages, run-down buildings and the Parcoursup university admissions platform, which they see as too selective, opaque and unfair. The movement grew, drawing in more high schools and university students. Following a massive and sometimes violent demonstration on 17 October and more protests the following week, the government made some concessions. But protests are continuing. High schoolers who've been blockading the Hélène Boucher school in Paris talk about their frustration. (Listen @4'25'')
The government and right-wing politicians have accused the left of hijacking student protests for political gain a few months ahead of what promises to be a contentious presidential election, in which the far right is currently a strong front-runner. And while leftists have joined the demonstrations in support of the students, they say that reducing the protests to partisan politics ignores the underlying issues. Alice de Brito, the 22-year-old vice-president of Unef, one of the main student unions, talks about the need to keep up the pressure and continue the mobilisation. (Listen @9'20'')
Police have cracked down on the protests, sometimes violently. Historian Manon Pignot says the violence has helped to radicalise students and has drawn others into the movement. She talks about how successive French governments have tried to rein in young people, who've been at the forefront of many movements for change from as early as the 19th century. (Listen @24'30'')
The protests have inevitably drawn comparisons with May 1968, when students occupied universities and schools to demand education reforms, and were later joined by workers who called the biggest general strike in French history. Today's high school students have been referencing May '68 in their slogans and signs, pointing to it as a example of young people successfully forcing change. Maryse Esterle, who was 16 at the time, reflects on her own experience of May '68, and political scientist Boris Gobille evokes the similiarities and differences between the two movements. (Listen @18'00)
Episode mixed by Cecile Pompeani.
Spotlight on France is a podcast from Radio France International. Find us on rfienglish.com, Apple podcasts, Spotify or your favourite podcast app.
