Today, the entrance to the main building of the Pierre-et-Marie-Curie campus, which specializes in natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering, was blocked by trash bins, metal barriers, and other objects. A cardboard sign attached to the railings read: 'Portrait of passionate youth.'
Student activist Ophélie told Lusa that the 'blockade' began in the morning, and only scientists and postgraduate students with current employment experience were allowed through. She stated: 'We want to show solidarity with high school students. We are organized and intend to continue until the 17th (of October). '
Demonstrations are planned across the country this Saturday, called via social media, presumably by the 'yellow vest' movement, to protest rising fuel prices. Other universities, including Sciences-Po, were also barricaded today, while Nanterre remains closed since Friday.
Nevertheless, no violent clashes similar to those that occurred in recent days following the start of protests in the suburbs of Paris in mid-September were registered today.
The high school students participating in the protests attend educational institutions where young people aged 15 to 18 complain about poor sanitary conditions in buildings, overcrowded classrooms, and a shortage of teachers over the last three years of secondary school.
On Tuesday, hundreds of thousands took to the streets—according to the Ministry of the Interior, this was 266,000 people across France, while student group organizers claimed the number was 450,000.
The Ministry of Education claims that 86% of schools opened their doors today, but classes in many educational institutions continue to be suspended fully or partially.
An example is Lycée Louise Michel in the Parisian suburb of Bobigny, one of the first to join the protest movement. History and film teacher Shakila Zambulingame noted that teachers share the problems raised by students, which have existed for a long time but have become unbearable during summer heatwaves. She described the situation: 'There are schools that are very hot in the summer and have no heating in winter, and the toilets do not work.'
Luca Marchand, a history teacher at Lycée de Drancy, added that there are falling ceilings and windows, and repair work has been poorly executed. This union activist from CGT believes in the need for a 'comprehensive education plan' that should address not only the material renewal of buildings but also staffing.
Zambulingame also criticizes 'school inequality,' caused by the lack of teachers in disadvantaged suburban high schools, which puts students at a disadvantage when applying to universities. She expressed regret that 'the system takes into account factors other than grades, but many young people are excluded from desired courses not due to lack of competence or intelligence, but due to lack of support.'
The secondary education student union and the Student Union called for new actions on Thursday in Paris and other cities. In support of this mobilization, five teachers' unions also announced strikes and demonstrations.
According to the Government, 215 students and 85 education sector employees, as well as about 800 police officers, were injured as a result of the protests in recent days. The General Inspectorate of National Police (IGPN), the body overseeing the police, opened eighteen investigations, mainly due to injured young people, many of whom are minors.