Frankreich: Die Jugend verliert das Vertrauen in den Staat – „Und die Polizei rüstet auf, als wäre sie im Krieg“

In France, young people are losing faith in the state, as police gear up for what they perceive as a war-like situation. Protests have been ongoing for two weeks, with 250,000 people taking to the streets on a single day, marking the peak of the movement. Young people are demanding more education, a right that the state should guarantee, but they are facing significant challenges.

The contradiction they face daily is that they spend hours in school, sometimes into the evening, yet the state fails to provide reliable education. Many feel that the state is failing to deliver on a central promise: equal opportunities for all. The slogan "Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood" that adorns many schools is not applied equally to all students.

The protests symbolize the cracks in French society, with politics often prioritizing the concerns of pensioners over younger people. Bruno Cautrès, a political scientist, describes a deep alienation between the youth and the state, with young people feeling unwelcome and improperly treated by the French society. While most demonstrations were peaceful, there were incidents of violence, with police facing Molotov cocktails and projectiles.

Over 6,800 people were arrested, mostly minors, and the damage is estimated at over 30 million euros. The protests have also been influenced by the electoral campaign for the upcoming presidential elections, with the far-left party La France Insoumise accused of politicizing the student protests and fueling confrontations with the police.

Police tactics are also under scrutiny, with critics pointing to excessive use of force. A 14-year-old boy suffered severe dental injuries from tear gas, and a 15-year-old lost a hand in an incident involving a police grenade. The government has temporarily stopped the use of tear gas against students and has announced a "Emergency Plan" to calm the situation, including deploying over 3,000 substitute teachers.

However, another major protest is already planned for Tuesday, and the movement is spreading to other countries, including Belgium, where students have also taken to the streets demanding more equal opportunities.