One of the most famous slogans in France’s May 1968 student protests declared “L’imagination au pouvoir” (Power to the imagination). In a postwar context of steady growth, the ’68ers dreamed of shaping an egalitarian society, freed from the social constraints of their parents’ generation. Nearly five decades on, in a very different economic climate, the goal for most of the tens of thousands of pupils disrupting schools across the country is more modest. As one placard on display had it: “I’d like to be worrying about my maths exam, not my future”.
A huge turnout of hundreds of thousands of protesters on Tuesday – a number that included many parents and teachers – confirmed the depth of resentment at years of budget cuts leading to crumbling school buildings, overcrowded classes and chronic staff shortages. Other complaints point to a lack of resources to deal with the now frequent heatwaves that make classrooms intolerable in May and June, and the unfairness of an opaque, algorithmically driven selection process for universities.
Confronted by the anxieties of a generation facing challenges ranging from the climate emergency to the impact of AI on future job opportunities, the response of Emmanuel Macron’s government has been disastrously heavy-handed. Instead of being instructed to show maximum restraint, given the age of most of those involved, security forces were urged to intervene to break up the school “blockades”. The result has been heightened confrontation and unacceptable violence on both sides. More than 200 students have been injured, as well as over 700 police officers and a number of teachers. One 15-year-old boy had his hand blown off during a protest in Lens, another lost an eye, and more than 4,000 minors were taken into custody, with nearly 1,500 facing prosecution.
At a political level, the eruption of anger over the underfunding of education has underlined the folly of Mr Macron’s ongoing attempt to balance France’s books by taking an axe to social spending. During his chaotic second term as president, five prime ministers have attempted to force through austerity budgets in order to cut the deficit and satisfy increasingly restive bond markets. The latest, Sébastien Lecornu, has belatedly said that the students’ core demands should be addressed. But last month he proposed cuts worth €54bn, including a real-terms reduction in schools funding. A credible approach would require more resources, not less.
Six months out from a presidential election in which Marine Le Pen is the frontrunner, the spectacle of burned-out schools, baton rounds and teargassed protesters feels ominous. As French politics polarises amid a crisis of faith in mainstream leaders, Ms Le Pen has accused the hard left of fomenting the school protests and called for a toughening up of “anti-riot” legislation. Public sector workers were on the streets on Tuesday, demonstrating against wage freezes. The major unions are jointly planning further demonstrations for November. An autumn of discontent now seems possible, as a lame-duck government enters its final months.
Mass protest in the streets is hardly an unknown phenomenon in France. But as calls mount for government spending to be further cut to appease market sentiment, the scale and intensity of the school protests should be heeded by the political class. As the social contract in France comes under increasing strain, the voice of its protesting students needs to be heard.
