PRESS REVIEW – Wednesday, October 7: Papers mark the third anniversary of the October 7 attacks. But first: the high school protests that have swept across France make the front pages at home and abroad. Also, the Argentinian press waves off Lionel Messi after his last international match. Finally, a British adventurer completes a 28-year walk around the world.
The French front pages all look quite alike this Wednesday. Aujourd’hui en France describes 266,000 young people in the streets, according to the interior ministry, while L’Humanité reports that 450,000 protesters descended into the streets across France. Libération celebrates the high school “aura”, saying thousands of young people marched for their rights without any major incidents.
Beyond France, Italy’s Il Manifesto celebrates the movement and quotes the French national anthem on its front page. Il Fatto Quotidiano highlights clashes between some protesters and the police. In the UK, the Guardian says authorities face accusations of deliberate brutality. It also looks at the facts behind the discontent: social inequality, huge class sizes and dilapidated school buildings.
Papers are also commemorating the three-year anniversary of the October 7 attacks. Israel Hayom is full of questions, whilst Haaretz argues that the scale of the attacks shows the extent of the security failure. In France, L’Équipe looks at how affected communities are using sport to work through their trauma, from a commemorative cycling race in the Israeli village of Be’eri to more than 220 Palestinian football clubs returning to competition after three years.
Staying in the world of football, the Argentinian press is waving off its superstar, Lionel Messi. Clarín headlines with “Messi’s emotional farewell: a goal, two assists and an unforgettable ovation” after his last international match, a 3-0 win over Benin. In the UK, the Guardian says he has “completed football”, finishing his international career after 21 years with 126 goals and 70 assists for Argentina. The Telegraph says he is only bettered by one man, and it is not Cristiano Ronaldo: Pelé, who takes the top spot in its list of the best footballers of all time.
Finally, there is one other homecoming to celebrate this morning. After 28 years walking around the world, British adventurer Karl Bushby has finally set foot on British soil, according to The Times. A Washington Post map traces his journey from the southern tip of Chile to Alaska, across the Bering Strait and Russia, and through Europe. He has walked 50,000 kilometres and has only around 400 to go until he reaches his mother’s house in Hull.
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