Europeupdated 1h ago2 min read
France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu Says Student Protests Became Urban Violence
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Lecornu says student protests have transformed into a movement of urban violence. Fears unrest during weekend protests against high living costs led by Yellow Vests.
8 outlets told this the same way.
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Lecornu flags urban violence
France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said that the student mobilization has transformed into a "movement of urban violence" and that authorities feared unrest during protests planned for Saturday against the high cost of living. Lecornu told the press, "From the information we received this morning (Thursday), this no longer seems like a student movement." Lecornu said the government had received reports of mortar-like pyrotechnic shots toward institutes and he denounced "absolutely horrifying calls to violence."
Lecornu said nearly 200 of the country’s 3,700 institutes have ongoing episodes of persistent violence, sometimes led by people unrelated to the centers. Lecornu said the government must respond to the problems without tying its decisions to any electoral calendar, adding, "Since we do not have an electoral agenda, we are not obliged to tell people everything."
Numbers and protest scale
Le Monde reported that the joint union of student and high school organizations estimated that 480,000 people protested on Tuesday, October 13, while the Interior Ministry reported 161,500 people protested. Le Monde said the Education Ministry only counted the number of closed high schools, which it put at 214 compared to 800 on Tuesday, October 6, and it no longer provided figures for schools that were blocked or disrupted. Le Monde reported that in the Paris region the tally showed "90 high schools disrupted" and "70 remote" out of 468 public high schools.
Le Monde said environmental activist Greta Thunberg came to show her support to students outside the Lycée Paul-Eluard in Saint-Denis, and she described the student movement as "inspiring" to the international community. Le Monde quoted Thunberg saying, "The whole world is watching with awe," as the movement entered its fourth week.
Demands and government response
Lecornu said the platform set up to collect proposals had received between 92,000 and 93,000 contributions, as he pledged to respond to the student demands. Lecornu said the main demands of the student protests include increased resources for public education, better study conditions, and a reform of access to university. The RFI account said the student movement began in September and was led mainly by students aged 15 to 18 in secondary education, in the stage prior to higher education.
RFI said authorities reported clashes between police and protesters that left hundreds of injured, including more than 200 students, about 800 police officers, and 147 educational staff members. RFI said Lecornu told the press, "We have a movement of urban violence, whose intensity (...) intensified in recent days," and he said he feared clashes during Saturday’s demonstrations against the cost of living.