French teens blockade schools as unions vow day of 'anger' over cost-cutting budget
French teenagers on Tuesday clashed with police as they kept up a blockade of some high schools that has angered the government, with unions planning nationwide protests over a cost-cutting budget. High school students have since last week staged protests outside their schools over issues including timetables, class sizes and a shortage of teachers, with some blocking entrances with rubbish bins…
On Tuesday, French teenagers protested by blockading high schools, causing tension between students and authorities. These students, who have been protesting over issues like timetables, class sizes, and a shortage of teachers, have now spread their actions to multiple cities across the country. The movement, which began in the Ile-de-France region near Paris, has resulted in clashes with police, including in Lille and Nantes, where demonstrators used bins and even set some on fire.
Students brandished slogans like "more hours of lessons than sleep" at the Lamartine school in Paris. Meanwhile, unions have planned a day of nationwide protests and strikes over the budget proposed by Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, an ally of President Emmanuel Macron. Union leader Sophie Binet warned the government to address the demands and revise the budget, which she believes could lead the country to recession.
The Interior Minister, Laurent Nunez, reported 164 arrests on Monday and noted that 180 schools were affected by the blockades.
Written by urgent.news from Dawn's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
