French schools blockade resume on smaller scale as holidays end

Now, let's move to some other news on the programme. And the blockading of some high schools across France continues today after students went back to school, in theory anyway, yesterday. The number of blockages, though, sharply down on the figures before the midterm break. The government claimed yesterday only 1% of schools were closed. Let's cross on to the Lycée Louis-le-Grand in centre Paris. We're going to talk to our reporter, Claire Paclin. Claire, I gather the blockage there has just sort of been lifted in the last few minutes. Tell us more. Yes, exactly. I'm in the 5th arrondissement of Paris Stuart and the blockage here at Lycée Louis-le-Grand. This is what it looks like now. As you can see, it has come to an end. The students are going into the classrooms now. The teachers are inside and they are teaching lessons. You were speaking a little earlier on to students who were waiting outside. A kind of human chain had been formed by some students who were blocking access into the school. But the police were allowing students who wanted to go in. to go into class. The main entrance of the lycée has been blocked by some bins, so it's a side entrance on one of the side roads that the students are using now. We were speaking to some students who told us that they have a difficult sort of choice to make. Either they go into class but risk being sort of ostracized by some of their fellow students who want them to blockade, and they have the other choice which is they stay out of class, but because The classes are taking place. That could be an unauthorized absence and that could be There could be a black mark on their copy book. And so they have to make a tricky choice. But what we've seen in the last few minutes is very much the blockade has been lifted. Students are back in class and teachers are teaching lessons. Claire, it does come amid a potentially tense week to come, doesn't it? We've got a general strike here planned on Thursday. Certainly. And this general strike, which brings together public and private sector workers, as well as the gilets jaunes or the yellow vest protesters, pensioners as well, as well as young people from this movement, has been planned now for several weeks. And so expect big disruption. On Thursday, young people who were blockading this high school this morning, many of them will be demonstrating on Thursday. And there's this idea now of solidarity as a kind of wanting to put across a united front, bringing together lots of different struggles, because the young people that I've been speaking to say that the grown ups have been. Supporting them in their movement, in their demands for better conditions in schools. And so now they want to continue supporting the grown-ups and continue supporting public private sector workers, gilets jaunes, yellow vest demonstrators, as well as pensioners too. And so expect big demonstration here in Paris. We don't yet know the route that demonstration will take. We know it's at the police. Since the looting and vandalism on October 17th, now have not been authorizing demonstrations in the city center in Paris. Demonstrations have been taking place. The marches have been taking place on the edge of the city. So we don't yet know where the big demonstration will be, which route the march will take, but certainly expect a general strike on Thursday, as well as demonstrations here in Paris, but also across the country. Claire, thanks very much. Claire Pacqueline, continue to follow those demonstrations for us here.