Saving in the face of protest: France's difficult balance sheet

France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu faces mounting pressure as student protests against deteriorating school conditions continue to escalate. For nearly two weeks, students have been demonstrating nationwide over issues such as frequent class cancellations, overcrowded classrooms, and dilapidated school buildings. Recent protests have turned increasingly violent, with heavy police crackdowns leading to serious injuries among demonstrators. On Friday, Education Minister Édouard Geffray attempted to calm tensions through meetings with student representatives, but these efforts proved unsuccessful. As a result, a national day of protest has been planned for Tuesday. On Sunday evening, Lecornu elevated the crisis to a top priority, sending letters to several ministers demanding specific proposals to address the situation. These include measures to quickly recover lost teaching hours, improve schools' resilience to hotter summers, and increase transparency in the controversial university admissions process known as Parcoursup. Initial decisions, including financing and timelines, are expected by October. However, Lecornu, a close ally of President Emmanuel Macron, finds himself in a difficult position, needing to promise more state support to youth while his government imposes austerity measures. The government submitted its draft budget for 2027 to Parliament last Thursday, aiming to reduce the projected deficit from 5.4 percent of GDP this year to five percent in 2027. This involves significant savings and additional revenue in the billions. France is already under an EU deficit procedure and aims to bring its fiscal gap closer to the European three-percent limit. Eileen Keller from the German-French Institute noted that the budget proposal serves as a signal to financial markets, showing the government’s commitment to addressing the deficit. Despite the proposed budget cuts, the education sector receives an increase in funding, with the education budget set to rise by approximately 1.2 billion euros by 2027. However, the government anticipates a reduction in the number of students by around 1.7 million by 2035. Keller pointed out that this contradiction highlights that money alone does not solve the issue, emphasizing concerns about priorities and the overall structure of the education system. Meanwhile, the protests have intensified, with 1,800 schools closed nationwide according to Liberation. Unions and parents have joined the demonstrations, both in solidarity and to protect against violence. Marc Berthold from the Böll Foundation reported that the Interior Ministry estimated 250,000 participants nationwide, while the French trade union federation put the number at 450,000, with tens of thousands in Paris alone. Since late September, students have protested poor conditions in secondary schools, demanding more teachers, smaller classes, school building renovations, better financial resources, and greater equality of opportunity. Protests have often resulted in clashes, with the police responding harshly using batons, rubber bullets, tear gas, and flashbang grenades. A 15-year-old lost his hand, and a 16-year-old lost sight in one eye due to police actions. Over 190 students have been injured, with numbers continuing to rise. More than 5,000 protesters have been temporarily arrested, with almost 90 percent being minors. The repressive tactics of the government seem to be driving more people onto the streets rather than quelling the unrest. Amnesty International criticized the authorities for failing to protect the right to peaceful demonstration, urging them to avoid unnecessary and excessive use of force. The organization condemned the use of tear gas, rubber bullets, batons, and arbitrary arrests. Professor Sebastian Roché from the University of Grenoble noted an escalation in police brutality compared to previous protests. He highlighted that methods used by law enforcement have changed since 2016, resulting in severe incidents involving minors. Roché emphasized that no other police force in the EU behaves as brutally as the French police. Human rights organizations, including the French League for Human Rights (LDH), condemned the use of "war weapons against minors," criticizing the repression as a violation of young people's fundamental rights to free expression and assembly. They called on the government to take action to prevent further violence. In Lens, a teenager was seriously injured when a police grenade struck him during a protest. According to official statements, the boy had picked up a disarming grenade to throw back, though this account is still under investigation. Police and prosecutors confirmed he was taken to a clinic but is not in life-threatening condition. Six internal investigations have been launched, including into the injury of a 16-year-old who lost an eye in Tours, likely due to a rubber bullet. Another case involves a 14-year-old in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône, who suffered facial injuries from a tear gas grenade. In Lens, local authorities reported that some of 200 students threw stones and fireworks at police before the police deployed the grenade. Students on site told the Ici Nord broadcaster that they were trying to block the school entrance when police used tear gas and grenades. One student described witnessing her classmate's hand explode after being hit by a flashbang grenade. The French police are allowed to use flashbang grenades for self-defense, although many other EU countries prohibit them.