By Remy Herrera, Paris, France
In France, in these troubled times, extraordinary scenes have become an everyday occurrence. On December 5th, over 200 high schools across the entire country were completely blocked off, and there were many smaller high school walkouts and protests. The “yellow vests” struggle has inspired students to join in the struggle for their rights. Sometimes answering the high school students’ unions call, sometimes spontaneously, students across France are standing up against Macron’s neoliberal reforms. When we say neo-liberal, we mean benefitting the ultra-rich capitalists.
Currently, university in France is basically free—only 300 Euros a semester when the minimum wage is 1,200 Euros per month—and admission standards are designed to avoid marginalizing working-class, first-generation college students. Higher education in France is by no means perfect—first of all, just like in any capitalist country, it’s underfunded—but Macron’s policies will increase the cost of higher education and make it more difficult for working-class students, especially black and brown students.
In response to students’ frustrations, the government has simply elected to tear gas the lot of them. On December 5th, over 150 minors were arrested. But the students’ fury won’t get tear gassed away. The student unions at universities have also decided to join in the mobilizations. In Seine-Saint-Denis, the poorest city in France, several middle school students (11 to 14 years-old) set up barricades outside their middle schools—and faced the police violence.
On Thursday, December 6th, hundreds of high school students in a peaceful, working-class neighborhood near Paris trickled out of the gates to head to lunch, chitchatting, joking, relieved that the school day was half over. As they stepped outside, it became painfully clear that this was no ordinary Thursday: across from their school, a group of police officers had blocked the road those students take to go home. These students, used to police brutality and harassment, did what they’d always done in such a situation and took another street, when about twenty police officers in riot gear—helmets, batons (sticks the French cops carry to hit protesters- NC), shields, tear gas in arm—raced towards them. The police officers stopped and lined up in front of the terrified kids. When three of the police officers started charging their tear gas cannons, one student shouted:
“Let’s get out of here!! They’re gonna fire!”
They fired. The high school students that weren’t too shocked to move ran off as fast as they could. The cops tear gassed, insulted, and beat up anyone too shell-shocked to get away. One student heard the cops who were brutalizing him yell: “You dirty bastard “; another girl, bleeding, covered in bruises, is told: “You’re a little bitch! “
Running from the violent attacks, the students barely made it back to their school safe and sound. What had these kids done? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. They were leaving class, heading home, and the riot police brutalized them. With no reason!
Unacceptable. But unfortunately, things like this have been happening all over France these past few weeks. President Macron’s right-wing policies are carried out through blood and brutality. The day before, on December 5th, several students from high schools across the country were severely injured by flash balls. One, a sixteen-year old, was hit in the forehead; the other was hit in the cheek. Both students got support from their schools; the following day, the teachers’ assemblies (a part of the union that defends teachers’ hard-earned rights in France) released messages of solidarity with the students protesting and calling on students and educators across France to bloc high schools as a sign of protest to Macron’s policies.
One thing is clear: the old regime, the one that exploits its youth and offers most of us nothing but unemployment, low-wage jobs and poverty, is condemned.