Protestsupdated 1h ago2 min read
Macron Urges French Government To Provide Concrete Solutions After Student Protests In Paris
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Macron urged government to deliver concrete solutions amid ongoing student protests across France. Authorities reported thousands arrested and hundreds injured amid clashes in Paris and nationwide protests.
Macron demands answers
Emmanuel Macron urged the French government to provide "concrete solutions" to student protests after more than 7,000 arrests and about a thousand injuries in the last three weeks. Macron acknowledged that "young people are expressing legitimate concerns" while he lamented that these are "politically exploited and transformed into urban violence." Maud Bregeon said Macron pressed his cabinet to put solutions on the table in the coming days, despite French authorities insisting the movement is in a "clear slowdown."
Edouard Geffray defended the right to protest as a "fundamental freedom," while Laurent Nuñez preferred to keep institutes blocked by students closed to ensure the safety of teaching staff. The General Inspectorate of the National Police (IGPN) opened 36 investigations into the security forces in the last three weeks, including one for "mutilating injuries."
Numbers and clashes
Laurent Nuñez said 11 police officers had been hospitalised following clashes with protesters in Paris on Tuesday, as police fired water cannons and teargas near Les Invalides.
The protests in Paris and Lyon saw violence and clashes with police, who fired tear gas at protesters, while the Interior Ministry estimated 161,500 people joined Tuesday's rallies nationwide.
The protests included tear gas and stun grenades, and Euronews said the use of stun grenades has come under increasing scrutiny after a 15-year-old pupil lost his hand during a police operation outside a school earlier this month.
Greta Thunberg told reporters outside a high school in Saint-Denis, "Young people are not being included in the conversation. Our future is being robbed away from us."
Anne Savinel-Barras of Amnesty International France called for authorities to ensure young people are kept as safe as possible, saying, "Any policing response must be lawful, necessary and proportionate."
Legal pressure and stakes
Students in Paris said they had not achieved anything yet and that stopping now would be a "defeat." Greta Thunberg told protesters, "Our future is being stolen from us and, as we have seen here, schools are not getting the investment they need." France’s interior ministry reported 161,500 people turned out across the country on Tuesday, while similar marches drew more than 260,000 last Tuesday and 75,000 on Thursday.
Édouard Geffray stated that 214 of the country’s 3,700 high schools were completely closed, while the student union UE posted, "They’re not listening to us, so we’re going to them." Emmanuel Macron called for restraint on Monday, saying the issues "deserve time, consultations, discussion and respect," as government figures showed more than 6,800 people, mainly minors, had been detained during the protests.