French high school students call for joint protests with farmers, workers and yellow vests

On a recent Saturday, high school students staged a blockade at Lycée Blaise-Cendrars in Sevran, Seine-Saint-Denis, after a student identified only as Iliass had warned of the action earlier in the month. The protest was promoted by student and youth organisations, which asked demonstrators to merge the varied demands of schoolchildren, farmers, workers, climate activists and the “gilets jaunes”. Louis Letoublon, vice-president of Les lycéens !, claimed the government’s release of ten million barrels of diesel was intended to split the movements.

Lydia Hamadene, national secretary of the Union syndicale lycéenne, stressed that today’s students are tomorrow’s workers. Slogans such as “gilets jeunes” and “jeunes et jaunes” appeared on signs and social media, symbolising the hoped-for convergence of struggles. The parents’ federation FCPE also urged people to join the demonstrations to back the students and denounce austerity policies affecting public education.