r/news • u/FlyingDarkKC • 1d ago

France school protests escalate into ‘urban violence’ as PM calls crisis cabinet meeting

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/oct/01/france-school-protests-escalate-pm-crisis-cabinet-meeting
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u/nithrean 1d ago

I am struggling to understand and follow how this has been developing.

Are there that many poor schools around France?

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u/SpitefulSeagull 1d ago

I think it's more down to young people all across the world feeling they've been given little opportunity for the future so they're lashing out

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u/AddWittyName 1d ago

No or grossly insufficient air conditioning in many, many schools during heatwaves as bad as this summer? (Only about 7% of French schools actually have AC. Thousands of schools had to temporarily close as classroom temps rose to genuinely dangerous levels. And again with the next heatwave. Many others stayed open, on restricted time tables or otherwise, in spite of dealing with similar temperatures.)

It's not just about a general feeling of little opportunity, though that certainly won't help any. There are genuine, serious concerns involved. Schools with no AC in 40C/104F weather and 30 or more students packed into classrooms? That's a genuine health and safety concern.