‘Our future is being robbed’: Greta Thunberg joins France student protests

Paris authorities and student demonstrators were on high alert for potential violence on Tuesday as Swedish activist Greta Thunberg joined French high school students protesting for better learning conditions. The 23-year-old climate activist, known for her school strikes demanding action on climate change, joined pupils outside Paul Eluard high school in Saint-Denis, a suburb of Paris.

Thunberg expressed frustration, stating, "Young people are not being included in the conversation. Our future is being robbed away from us."

The demonstration, backed by unions and the far-left opposition party France Unbowed, included a midday march through Paris and similar protests in other cities. Over 70,000 people participated in the last major event of the movement, which began in late September. French authorities hoped the protests would ease before the half-term holidays.

Education Minister Edouard Geffray reported that around 200 schools were closed, fewer than the previous week, and some near protest routes were closing to avoid damage. In the Paris region, teenagers had blockaded entrances to several schools before dawn. In Marseille, students pushed wheelie bins in front of their high school.

Students claim they are determined to push the government to address issues like too many absent teachers, dilapidated buildings, overcrowded class schedules, and other grievances. Protests have seen peaceful demonstrations but occasional clashes with police. The education ministry reported eight injured staff members, mostly in Paris and Bordeaux, due to the protests.

Over 6,800 people, largely minors, were taken into police custody since the protests began. Police have opened investigations into 24 allegations of brutality against demonstrators. The government promised 3,000 substitute teachers to replace absent staff at struggling high schools, with 35% already assigned as of Tuesday.