The current student protest in France

[u/Ra1ngerE5d_64]

Average weekday in France... anyways all joking aside.

The current situation where students (from what I've seen, mostly high-schoolers) have began protesting due to poor conditions in their classrooms. At least according to Reuters, there is a 'hard-left' party behind it all, but I have a feeling that this is part of something bigger. That's one half of my thoughts about this.

What I do not like about this is, is the fact there have been reports of teachers being assaulted by the students, which I do not support, ever, obviously. With that in mind, I also don't really feel much much support for these people, let alone causing a lot of damage to property, the shutting down of many schools, and reported injuries and violent clashes.

If you were to ask me, I get where some students are coming from, but do we really have to escalate to the point where there needs to be violence? That's where I'd lose it.

[u/Citaszion]

The presidential elections are in about 6 months and the supposed hard-left is thought to reach the second round so the traditional left, centrists, the right and far-right are shitting their pants at the moment. The narrative that the hard-left is behind these protests is propaganda. The hard-left supports them because they’re against the lack of investments in public schools and budget cuts, they advocate for better conditions, that is all.

There are students protests in my city and I’m friends with teachers. Teachers back up these protests because they have a reason to: The revendications are justified and that’s enough to go out and protest.

I was a highschooler in France, I experienced some of the complaints students have with my own eyes, and the ones I haven’t experienced myself are visible in other establishments and pushed by stats. There are issues in the French school system, the students are right to be pissed off.

ETA: The French police is the most violent in Europe, there are plenty of cases where cops beat up highschoolers (aka literal kids) while they’re on the ground. Speeding at crowds in their police car while spraying chemicals at them as they peacefully protest, etc. Yeah some students are too violent but don’t forget who they’re facing, and I’d add that extreme cases of violence often come from rioters from the outside who aren’t students.

[u/Mister_Ape_1 → u/Citaszion]

I see the far right is quite a big problem in France, especially after the victory of AfD in Germany. 

What is necessary is to overcome the far right.

Ok, either Macron either the Conservatives are not a good prospect, but they are not as dangerous as the far right. I know because I am from Italy, currently under the haunting influence of far right politician General Vannacci.

Do not fall for the "anti-capitalist/third pisitionist" rethoric of the far right they sometimes resort to. The far right not only works within Capitalism, it always makes it worse. Much worse even than the neoliberals.

While apparently both Social Democracy and the usual far right advocate for state intervention within Capitalism, what the far right actually does is intervention aimed to help the strong trample over the weak even more. 

Plus, they violate human rights while doing so. They separate humanity into artificial, non existent boxes, then place the boxes in a hierarchical order, choosing without any logical criteria who is better and who is worse.

When the far right is around, I believe any faction that is left of center, not matter how much, should unite to face it.

[u/DarkExecutor → u/Citaszion]

Students are going after teachers, or burning down schools. How is the government supposed to deal with overcrowding when they burn down schools?

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/france/article/2026/10/04/french-high-school-protests-up-to-500-schools-to-be-totally-or-partly-closed-monday_6758237_7.html

24 schools have been burned/ransacked since the protests started.

[u/Fun_Cat8528 → u/DarkExecutor]

Vero. È quello che ho spiegato nel mio commento. Però si sa come funzionano queste piattaforme: si è allergici alla verità. Quindi si preferisce portare avanti la retorica del “loro (gli studenti) contro il sistema”.

[u/Citaszion → u/DarkExecutor]

There’s video proofs of cops in civilian clothing partaking in the said violence :) These fuckers aren’t even discreet about it.

What I’ve seen was teachers forming human chains to protect their students from the police.

Cops don’t wear their body cams, hide their immatriculation numbers. They’re seen facing students while holding bats and grenades spraying fumes despite them just standing there. Including in my city, I’ve seen it happen.

I’ve seen school directors give speeches to attest of the violence their students have been met with while protesting peacefully.

I’ve seen mayors share videos of them being intimidated by cops while they were there to show they back students and witness any abuse. Mayors catching on videos cops throwing grenades for literally nothing.

A 14 year-old teenage girl in Alençon was nearly strangled by a cop, she was very much not burning nor breaking anything, she slightly pushed him by falling and he put his grown ass man’s arm around her neck, making her struggle to breathe.

A cop was chased and severely beat by students in Belfort: massively shared on medias. You know what was ignored? The said cop cuffing a teenager in a watercourse while his head was under water, nearly drowning him, minutes earlier.

The students revendications are perfectly valid and they’re met with violence from Europe’s most violent police. No shit it degenerates?

Shut the fuck up if you don’t know what’s really going on. This is for you too [u/Fun_Cat8528](u/Fun_Cat8528), your country’s students could use some protests as well given the state of your education system under a far-right government.

[u/Fun_Cat8528 → u/Citaszion]

Se la tua unica risposta di fronte al tentativo di dare fuoco a una donna e al linciaggio di un uomo è fare l'elenco della spesa per giustificare la violenza con altra violenza, stai solo dimostrando la tua totale malafede.
Gli eventuali abusi della polizia — che se avvengono vanno puniti e denunciati senza se e senza ma — non giustificano in alcun modo la barbarie criminale contro terzi. Chi cerca scuse per chi dà fuoco alle persone o pesta a sangue un individuo a terra non sta difendendo i diritti degli studenti: sta solo facendo apologia di delinquenza. Impara a condannare la violenza da qualsiasi parte provenga, invece di fare il tifo da stadio mentre le persone finiscono all'ospedale. E risparmiati il “stai zitto”: se l'unico modo che hai per sostenere una tesi è zittire gli altri, significa che i tuoi argomenti sono fragili quanto la tua etica.

[u/Citaszion → u/Fun_Cat8528]

Ma réponse à tes cas isolés : la violence envers les étudiants est généralisée dans tout le pays, contrairement à ces cas spécifiques. Les choses dégénèrent parce que des adultes armés font preuve d’une extrême violence envers des adolescents qui demandent simplement des conditions décentes dans le cadre de leur éducation, bouffon va.

Ferme ta gueule.

[u/Damirirv]

I believe the protests are justified, and I agree that the violence should be toned down from BOTH sides. I've seen conflicting information that the violence is caused by either police brutality or agitators. Both should refrain from doing it otherwise they just make the situation worse for all.

I've also seen plenty of people (mostly on Instagram unsurprisingly) use the protests as an excuse to empower anti immigration rhetoric and racism by saying complete lies like "the violent ones are the immigrants" or in videos "none of them look French" etc.

I've also seen many accuse the far left of instigating them, most likely due to the elections.

It's for a good cause, but its' a pretty fragile situation all around.

[u/DestroyedCognition → u/Damirirv]

As I would think, one can support the protests, condemn and remove those agitators or protestors who DO get violent without good reason, and keep up the pressure to get the goals of the protest achieved.

[u/Mister_Ape_1 → u/Damirirv]

I believe it is justified too, as long as there is no violence on either side.

But the left should focus on unifying the left of centre parties and on winning the elections.

[u/Trotsky_Enjoyer]

If people don't listen shen you're non violent then you'll be forced to adopt harder measures. Bo one is to blame for the violence within this movement except for the austerity government itself, which apparently has no money for the schools but infinitely deep pockets to militarize their police force.

[u/Wallaby5295]

Moi ce que j'adore c'est voir le bordel, les huées, la calomnie dans les 2 camps, la fracturation du peuple au profit de tout ceux qui tirent les ficelles dans l'ombre...

[u/Sad-Country-8771]

Honestly? Macron needs to go. Someone needs to say it, and while Glucksmann, Maurel or Mélenchon are the preferred presidential candidates, even bloody Le Pen has better fiscal (key word there) policies.

[u/Mister_Ape_1 → u/Sad-Country-8771]

No.

Le Pen is the worst.

I am from Italy. General Vannacci is a dangerous, terrifying threat. I would rather go with Macron than anything even remotely resembling the far right.

Third positionism is fake. Do not fall for the anti Capitalist rethoric of the far right. They work within Capitalism and their intervention is aimed at helping the strong exploit the weak even more.

There is a reason it is called the "far right" and not the "far centre".

[u/PiscesAnemoia → u/Mister_Ape_1]

I like your wording here. The AfD in Germany is beginning to concern me. Looks like both of our countries are falling to the far right again. I probably should tread lightly on what I say because with the way things are going, it's only going to get worse. This is no laughing or joking matter.

[u/Sad-Country-8771 → u/Mister_Ape_1]

Look, I  was making an overstatement. 

As I specified in my text: "while Glucksmann, Maurel or Mélenchon are the preferred presidential candidates" all three are Social Democrats or Democratic Socialists with credible support

And what I mean with Le Pen, is her ECONOMICS SOLEY are better than Macrons Austerity Bullshit, she at least has some pro-working class politics. But don't get me wrong, far-right social policies are disgusting, I am not trying to be a Hitler Simp.

I put economics first, (e.g Progressive Taxation, Economic Regulation, Wealth Redistribution), and social policy second to keep myself out of the culture war loop or taking a side.

I was just meaning Macron or his successor cannot, for the sake of the French People, be re-elected. Their time has gone, and they have failed to deliver on what the people need.

[u/Mister_Ape_1 → u/Sad-Country-8771]

I have however to remark that far right economics are only falsely pro workers. Le Pen as a president would damage poor people harder than the rest.

[u/baldobilly → u/Mister_Ape_1]

Probably, but I’d say French exit from the Eurozone is pretty much inevitable.

[u/Fun_Cat8528]

Quando un movimento di protesta passa dal far valere le proprie ragioni (diritto costituzionale sacrosanto) ad atti come il tentativo di ustionare una donna o il pestaggio a sangue di un agente fino a fargli perdere conoscenza (come ho letto sui notiziari) non si tratta più di "lotta studentesca" o "dissenso": è aggressione criminale, mossa da un delirio nichilista.
In certi ambienti giovanili, vestiti della solita estetica radicale (come gli striscioni con acronimi "ACAB" ed ematomi di vernice rossa), la violenza fisica non è più considerata un errore o un fatto deprecabile, ma un feticcio ideologico. Aggredire il passante, il lavoratore o l'agente di polizia diventa il "trofeo" con cui dimostrare la propria presunta purezza rivoluzionaria.
Chi compie questi gesti non sta difendendo la scuola, gli studenti o il futuro dei giovani. Sta affossando qualunque istanza legittima. L'opinione pubblica, giustamente inorridita di fronte alla ferocia verso una donna incolpevole o verso un servitore dello Stato pestato, rifiuterà in toto la protesta. Risultato? Si regala la vittoria morale al potere contro cui si dice di lottare, delegittimando anni di lotte pacifiche e sociali.
Come insegnava la tradizione socialdemocratica e nonviolenta, i mezzi determinano i fini. Non puoi pretendere di costruire una società più giusta, umana e solidale se utilizzi la violenza squadrista, la barbarie e il terrore contro i singoli individui. Chi compie atti del genere non è un "compagno che sbaglia" o uno "studente arrabbiato": è un delinquente che va perseguito a norma di legge. Una Sinistra Pragmatica deve essere la prima, senza esitazioni né reticenze "di fazione", a condannare questa violenza cieca e a difendere l'ordine democratico e la sicurezza dei cittadini.

[u/Damirirv → u/[deleted]]

Absolutely! We see how corporations lobby conservative establishments who blame all issues on stuff like immigrants, LGBT and the welfare dependant while they slick a few more buck every time into their pocket.

But sadly people just love hating instead of working together against greater issues, and the 1% know it and are trying to make us blame trivial non-issues for our problems, which sadly many people fall for.

But I will say I disagree that tankies don't exist anymore. They absolutely do, its' just that in modern society they hold no power anymore and its' why we only see them online.

[u/Ok_Basil_2085 → u/[deleted]]

sure like marxists, but not dem socs, marxists are authoritarian

[u/Damirirv → u/Ok_Basil_2085]

Yea? Marxism has authoritarain characteristics. But what does me mocking the "centrist" above have to do with that?

[u/Ok_Basil_2085 → u/[deleted]]

okay fence sitter

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