To ask French Mumsnetters / parents how you're doing given today's protests?

[MistressoftheDarkSide]

Am starting this thread because I'm keeping an eye on both the Guardian live feed about the French student protests and Agenda Free TV on TouTube which is currently showing live feed from Toulouse.

My now adult kids were mid teens when we had the student lian protests here, and it was the devils own job preventing them trying to go to London. I was conflicted. On the one hand I admired the principles at play. On the other, protecting my offspring from themselves / the authorities / bad actors over rode that. And that was relatively small scale.

I know this is a complex situation and countrywide. I suppose I'm thinking in terms of solidarity with those with kids involved, or involved themselves as it's been reported parents and others are joining the protest, from the point of it being such a chaotic and scary situation. And I'd like to hear real thoughts from real people, as all media has different perspectives. Not a journalist, just a concerned human being, willing to listen to real thoughts and experiences from those in the vicinity.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/oct/06/europe-french-school-protests-paris-germany-afd-bulgaria-drones-russia-ukraine-latest-news-updates

I'm a parent and a teacher here (south of France). I stand by the kids, they are 100% right in their demonstrating. There has been a massive overreaction from some police groups, the racism and hatred is sickening. There are a handful of shit stirers amongst the kids but they're very much a minority.

Was it worth losing a hand over?

Thanks for responding, I do agree with your perspective largely x very worrying all round.

Is that all you've taken from the whole situation?

For the most part it’s not particularly chaotic. My son marched in a major French city today, no real issues. Proud to know he’s out and my daughter who is in lycée, is also highly engaged. I tell them to stay away from the lads in hoods and burning bins.

We are hearing a lot of articulate young people voice their concerns and stand up for their rights. The violence on the part of agitators and the police is terrible but it’s important for them to be able to demonstrate and show their support for their peers in the worst affected lycées.

What a crass comment.

What a ridiculous thing to say ! No child expects excessive police violence for demonstrating! There is a video of an undercover policeman chucking a stone at a group of CRS (also police) to stir up trouble. The kid who's got a broken jaw and teeth was provoked by the police. Not entirely sure what happened with the kid who last his hand and forearm as the videos don't make it clear.

It's turned into violent protests. This is meant to just be about with school conditions? Are you only interested in hearing the good stuff?

It depends on who's inciting the violence. I'm surprised at a teacher having such a blasé attitude about it. People are getting hurt, including a policewoman.

Were the teachers out today?

Can someone say exactly why they are protesting? I'm getting different answers from different sources. BBC is known to be unreliable.

To be honest, the impression given in the UK media is that what's happening are not so much protests as riots. Is that not the case? The videos I've seen are pretty shocking.

I think as woth most things it’s a mixed bag. Quite a few of the things the students are protesting are fair enough. Some a little less from my perspective. What I have seen in my city (which is not the worst affected) are a lot of burning bins and a thankfully limited fire in one of the schools which burnt down the caretakers office. I honestly don’t feel that there is any justification for ever setting fire to things, vandalising schools or street furniture such as bus shelters. One of the badly damaged schools where the fire caused a lot of damage was less than 10 years old. What a waste of resources to fix that could instead have been used to address some of the legitimate grievances.

I'm not blazée about it, I'm very much on the side of the kids. They have been thoroughly shafted by the succession of education ministers we've had over the past few years. I don't condone the violence. Many any schools have been demonstrating calmly (possibly with a bin or two being burnt but I can't get too upset about that when I look at the bigger picture).

Today’s protests were declared and organized, and the unions were marching. The students are protesting about conditions in some lycees, slow replacement of teachers especially in exam years, the university selection system- educational issues impacting their future. Teachers are generally supportive.

So it's not true that education funding per pupil has increased and class sizes have been decreasing?

Since the Bac reforme in 2019, the whole system has changed.

Kids now have loads of different options to choose from (sounds good but it isn't) meaning there are a huge number of possible combinations which has a huge impact on their timetables, many pupils have to spend 8 hours a day at school with free periods scattered about all over the place. Sometimes they only have 30 mins to eat (in France that's a big deal) or they have to eat at 11h or 14h.

They now also have to deal with Parcoursup to find out where they're going to study after lycée. It is hugely stressful for so many pupils (including the brightest ones) and extremely unfair depending on where you go to school in the first place.

Most school buildings are very old and run-down, poorly built and not adapted for today's classes (around 35 pupils per class, although 40 is becoming more and more common). There are very few rooms with air-conditioning despite the rising temperatures (it was over 35⁰ from May to September almost every single day this year where I am). Oh and ceilings are literally falling on kids' heads.

Teachers who fall ill, have accidents or even are just on maternity leave aren't replaced for months on end, or even for the whole year in several cases just in my nearest city).

If you align the education budget with inflation it has gone down. They're axing another few thousand teaching positions (by not replacing people who retire) next year because the number of children entering the system is going down, so class sizes are actually getting bigger.

BBC is known to be unreliable.

Only by spoilt conspiracy theorists in the UK 😂😂😂. It is trusted all over the world as one of the most reliable sources of news.

That does sound shit. Of course, in the UK we're only reading and seeing what the media chooses to report.

10 hours a day sorry, not 8!

😆 🤣 😂 😹

What do you think will happen next? Will the gov give extra funding

Seems some violent protests are more acceptable than others. Fluffy news brought to you by the Guardian.

They're protesting about the things that we as teachers have been protesting about for years now.

Even the news here has been broadcasting all the sensational stuff as it makes for better click bait. These protests are very similar to the ones I took part in when I was a pupil in the late 90s or the ones our parents did back in 1968 (actually looking at pictures from then, the children were way more violent).

What has changed is the reaction from the police (which has shocked a lot of people) and the media coverage (plus everyone filming and sharing everything).