Students and Yellow Vests protests: Greater collective strength versus risk of losing distinct voice

Protests from French students and their backers angry about the conditions in French schools are continuing again today. Crowds filled the streets in a new day of mass rallies on Tuesday with French unions claiming 480,000 people took part in the pro-student protests. Police saying that number was closer to 160,000. Another huge protest is planned for this Saturday, but many students were in the streets again today. That was the case up in the 20th arrondissement of Paris where France 24's Clovis Casali is now. Now, Clovis, you were talking to some students earlier today. What did they have to say? Well, when we arrived here at seven o'clock in the morning outside Hélène Boucher, you had around 50 students blocking the entrance, putting bins in front of the doors. And for a third week in a row, the Lycée Hélène Boucher is closed. Then the students got the message from the headmistress that classes were officially canceled for the day and therefore they left. What do these students tell us? They say they want more money for the school system here in France They also say that they want teachers to be replaced when they're sick or absent and the education minister Edouard Giffre did say, did announce that 3 000 substitute teachers had been recruited many already deployed and he also said this morning on BFM Television channel, well that hundreds of teachers or personnel would be recruited in the coming days, but with temporary contracts. Edouard Giffre also warning that not all students want these schools to be closed. Take a listen. Just under 200 high schools are closed, That is 4% of the schools affected by the protests. 96% of high schools in France are open, and in three quarters of the departments no disruptions have been reported. There are hundreds of thousands of students who have been unable to attend classes for several weeks, even though they want to. They can share their demands with their classmates, but they have the right to attend classes just like everyone else. Meanwhile, at the Élysée Palace during the cabinet meeting, President Emmanuel Macron addressed the situation, of course, calling ministers to come up in the coming weeks with concrete measures and actions, notably to renovate facilities of high schools, not necessarily this one in Paris, but many high schools across the country and in Parisian suburbs, for instance, who desperately need a renovation. And those are some of the measures he wants ministers to come up with. Emmanuel Macron also condemning what he calls urban violence. That's unacceptable, even though he admits that students have legitimate anxiety regarding their future and, in other ways, that some of the demands and concerns are legitimate. Clovis, thank you for that. France 24's Clovis Casali. Well, we're going to talk more about these protests now with a teacher in France, Sébastien Vier, who joins me now from the town of Montbéliard in eastern France. Sébastien, you're also a national secretary of the Teachers' Union, the SNALC. Thanks so much for taking the time to speak to us. What are your thoughts now on how these student protests have been evolving over the past weeks? There is this even bigger protest that's planned for this Saturday. How do you see the student movement growing here in France? Well, actually, the movement isn't really growing. It's quite stable, a little bit decreasing recently, let's say. But Saturday will be an important test because there are many different people that will be on the streets. You have the students, of course, but you also have the people who are, let's say, fed up with the cost rises that happened in France recently. So it will be a big test to see if the students are still motivated and still present. What are your thoughts on that? Do you think the joining of groups like the Yellow Vest, the Gilets Jaunes, is that going to help the student movement or perhaps hurt it? Well, in numbers, it will help them. But I'm afraid that in terms of demands, it could be prejudicial to the students' movement. Indeed, when you have a smaller group, well, the students are a smaller group compared with Gilets Jaunes, for example. So when that sort of smaller movement is joined by bigger ones, their demands may be, let's say, less visible for the people. So that should be a shame. The students, of course, are demanding better conditions in their classrooms, better replacements when teachers are absent. Tell us a bit more about what the conditions are like for you in your school in Montbéliard in Eastern France. Well, my lycée is, as you say, in Eastern France. We have a few issues, for example, with the toilets that are not acceptable. But the students are quite calm. Let's say we are a lycee which has been renovated a few years ago. So let's say we are a little privileged. But there are some high schools that are really dilapidated and that need investment. Absolutely. The question is, do you think that the government, which has already pledged to, for example, immediately send 3,000 substitute teachers, do you think the government will be able to give more money to those schools that desperately need support? Well, first of all, you have to understand that the 3,000 people are a mix between teachers, professional teachers, and people that are going to be hired. And we still don't know how they are going to hire them. Now, as for the money for the buildings, it's going to be difficult because we are in a, let's say, crisis situation concerning the budget in France. So we are waiting clearly for measures and for precise numbers. Indeed. And this is really the crux of the problem, isn't it? The problem of France is already huge public debt, 120% of the country's GDP. France's budget's currently being debated in parliament. Where do you think that this money might come from? Is there magic money? That is the question. Really, I'm not a specialist in economics, so I cannot answer this question. I just know the needs that we have in the high schools. And many people have also turned out in anger as well in what they perceive has been police violence during these protests. You mentioned there where you are, things have been relatively calm. What are your thoughts on this violence? Is it a growing trend against these students, or do you think it's just isolated cases? I don't really think there is a policy dedicated to violence against the students, but there are actions on the ground that are not acceptable, and we cannot tolerate violence from people representing the state. On the other side, we cannot accept violence from the students. You know that 40 headmasters have been injured, that more than 100 teachers have also been injured. And this is not acceptable either. Sebastian, thank you so much for taking the time to speak to us. Sebastian Viey in Montpellier. Thank you.