Why are so many students protesting in France?
Thousands of students have been arrested and 500 schools are closed
Across France, thousands of high school students are protesting. They say they’re doing it because of conditions in their schools - that classrooms are overcrowded, there’s not enough teachers and they can’t concentrate on exams because school buildings aren’t being maintained well enough.
Five hundred schools are shut and some protests have turned violent, with riot police being deployed and some streets set on fire. Pupils, teachers and police have been injured. Many of the protesters are under 18 and at this point there is no sign of the demonstrations ending. So why is this happening?
We hear from French teenagers who have spent the last few days protesting about what they want to change and why this is so important to them. We also hear from BBC reporter Pierre-Antoine Denis and former student union president Manès Nadel.
Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Chelsea Coates, Emma-Louise Amanshia and Rita Behadini
Editor: Emily Horler
Last on
More episodes
Broadcasts
- Yesterday 17:50GMTBBC World Service News Internet
- Today 02:50GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa, South Asia, West and Central Africa & East Asia only
Podcast
-
What in the World
Helping you make sense of what’s happening in your world.