BRUSSELS – The French government urged students on Monday not to block schools as student and high school organizations resumed demonstrations after a two-week holiday break, despite concessions announced last week to end the protest movement.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray called on protesters to allow students to return to classrooms, describing the resumption of classes as an “absolute priority.”
Speaking to France Inter, Geffray acknowledged students’ right to demonstrate but stressed that protests should not prevent others from accessing education.
He warned that the ongoing unrest could put the school year at risk and reminded protesters that blocking access to educational institutions was illegal.
“You can’t prevent your classmates from going to class,” he added.
Geffray said reported blockades were mainly concentrated in the Ile-de-France region, northern France, and the southwestern city of Toulouse.
A blockade was reported early Monday outside Helene-Boucher High School in Paris’ 20th arrondissement, one of the main centers of the student protest movement, according to broadcaster BFMTV.
Around 20 students placed trash bins in front of the school’s entrance, preventing access to classrooms.
Police are also set to reinforce their presence around schools to ensure security and support the educational community following violence during previous demonstrations.
As of early Monday, 41 high schools, representing around 1 percent of the schools nationwide, were blockaded, while no disruptions had been reported in 75 percent of Education Departments, according to the Education Ministry.
The renewed mobilization comes despite a series of measures announced last Monday aimed at ending protests that began in mid-September.
Meanwhile, French trade unions have called for nationwide demonstrations and strike action on Nov. 5, to demand wage increases and measures to address the rising cost of living.
The mobilization is expected to bring together private-sector employees, civil servants, retirees and young people, according to Sophie Binet, secretary-general of the General Confederation of Labour (CGT) told broadcaster France 2.
She said unions were demanding wage increases across all sectors and a revision of the government’s draft budget, which she described as “a disaster for the country.” (Anadolu)
