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

The debt is already incredibly high, what would you do to get more?

I'm sorry, what would I do? Why?

All developed countries borrow money, yes, its not in the sense that you or I do to get a bank loan or mortgage.

Yes, but where should the money come from?

The Euro slumped yesterday because of France's debts.

Also when teachers and head teachers are being attacked I don't think that anyone would want to work in schools anymore.

That maybe the case but that line seems to lead to a constant increase, the cost of borrowing is incredibly high. For us it’s over £100bn a year just in servicing debt from taxpayer money that could be going on other stuff.

France and Germany both had public debt ratios near 60pc of GDP in 2007. Now Germany is still near 60pc while France has doubled to 120pc.

That means it’s harder for the French gov to divert money to education as so much is going on debt servicing.

Debt to GDP ratio in developed countries should be around 60%, France has hit 116%.

it’s not a conspiracy theory that the BBC is unreliable (to put it mildly).

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/11/03/bbc-report-reveals-bias-donald-trump/

The Telegraph is appallingly right wing and consequently hates the BBC. It is definitely not a reliable news source.

I think you are seeing France through a left-wing starry eyed view. People who live there are telling us about the structural problems and inequalities in the education system. One poster said her son’s school has only just got rid of “toilettes à la turque”. Disgustingly dirty holes in the ground.

The French job market has never been as good for young people as it is here (although our current government is working on changing that - not for the better). I think you can imagine which sectors of society are largely excluded from it?

They have had to apologise various times for the lies they have told, they definitely are not the trusted media across the world 😆

I'm shocked at some of the blasé answers on here like they are normal protests. There was a fireman set on fire, there's a woman who's face was set on fire. How can you say they are justified doing this.

We shouldn't be surprised really, back in Britain hitting policewomen with sledgehammers is dismissed by the Palestine Action Group terrorists. Violence is violence and any message gets lost within that.

But random anonymous posters on the Internet are more reliable?

So who should we trust?

Which news outlet has never made a mistake?

Apologising is better than leaving the mistake out there to be resurrected

The Telegraph has lost any right to be seen as a serious reliable newspaper. It's now up there with the Mail but edging towards Express territory.

Which is a shame

I hope students follow suit here. They are facing many of the same issues.

Unbelievable.

Who is a reliable source?

Fox?

In what way are British students facing the same issues as French students?

I’d go further, it’s become such a caricature it’s basically unreadable these days.

We could start with the 211 BILLION € that was given to companies without any accountability.

Just to say I'm not anonymous (have posted my public Instagram account on several threads 😅

Schools physically falling apart, schools failing a large percentage of children (one million not in education, training or employment after they leave) one size fits all education provided by academy chains with overpaid layers of leadership, tick box culture to satisfy Ofsted instead of individual potential, ridiculously draconian rules, schools far too big, class sizes too large, lack of specialist subject teachers, teachers leaving the profession in droves, blame culture instead of support toward kids with SEN (check out the EBSA thread), huge numbers with mental health problems created by or severely exacerbated by school.

That means it’s harder for the French gov to divert money to education as so much is going on debt servicing.

A quarter of French government spending is going on pensions. Even La Pen isn’t planning to change that. It’s obvious that the French prioritise the old over the young.

Posters are telling us France is at least 10 years behind the UK on SEN. No schools in the Uk have had “Turkish toilets” since the invention of the toilet.

French schools are very unequal dependent on area. You could say it’s the same thing here and to an extent it is but at least we’ve tried to even it out with the pupil premium.

In the UK many state schools have brilliant Arts and Drama/Performing arts departments. Access to different sports. This isn’t such a thing in France. The focus is on academics and getting the Bac. The workload is gruelling.

Superficially some things may look the same, but they actually aren’t because it’s a product of the fundamentals of how society works, and French culture/society is very different from the UK.

You’re shouting into the void here as some posters, who clearly know nothing about schools in France, are just determined to claim that the situation is the same here, when actually it is quite different.