Yahoo News France must stand up to Macron or it will end up like Britain, Paris history student says
“This is our last stand against Macron’s plans,” says a history student from the Sorbonne in Paris. “If he succeeds, we’ll end up like Britain.”
More than 15 universities across France have been paralysed by a wave of demonstrations against proposed reforms to the education system.
Students have been protesting over new laws on the admissions process, as well as reforms to the baccalaureate and asylum policy.
The Loi Vidal, which plans to introduce entry examinations for public universities, has divided public opinion. For some it means that the most talented are assured places at university, for others it means that those who can afford tuition can pay to reach the top.
After months of protests, France was captivated by the decision of Sciences Po Paris — my university and President Emmanuel Macron’s alma mater — to join the demonstrations. As an elite semi-private institution, Sciences Po will not be affected by the reforms, but many students voted to show solidarity with the public universities.
Students blockaded the Saint-Germain campus, leading to mass cancellations of lessons and conferences in the upmarket Parisian quarter.
Angèle Laferté-Asensi, an 18-year-old blockader, told me that the reforms would further institutionalise racism and inequality in France.
Another student, Lucie, said that President Macron was threatening the republican ideal of égalité.
Protesters say history is on their side. Many students carried banners with the words “May 1968”, a reference to the student protests that marked the beginning of the end for President Charles de Gaulle 50 years ago.
One cry was “Macron, you’re in the shit, even Sciences Po is in the streets.”
French president-elect Emmanuel Macron at a Victory Day Ceremony
French president-elect Emmanuel Macron at a Victory Day Ceremony
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Outgoing French president Francois Hollande and French president-elect Emmanuel Macron attend the ceremony marking the 72nd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany during WWII
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Ceremonial troops prepare for a ceremony to mark Victory Day in Paris, France
Emilio Morenatti/AP
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Current French President Francois Hollande reaches out to touch French president-elect Emmanuel Macron, left, during a ceremony to mark Victory Day in Paris, France
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French President Francois Hollande (L) and French president-elect Emmanuel Macron attend a ceremony marking the 72nd anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany during World War II
AFP/Getty Images
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French president-elect Emmanuel Macron, lower center right, is greeted by former president Nicolas Sarkozy before a ceremony to mark Victory Day in Paris
Francois Mori/AP
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Ceremonial troops prepare for a ceremony to mark Victory Day in Paris, France,
Emilio Morenatti/AP
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French President-elect Emmanuel Macron arrives to attend a ceremony to mark the end of World War II at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris
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Outgoing French President Francois Hollande and President-elect Emmanuel Macron attend attend a ceremony to mark the end of World War II at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, France
Philippe Wojazer/Reuters
Support at the university is nevertheless far from universal. Standing outside their blocked campus, some complained that a radical minority was preventing them from revising for exams.
As a vast number of students and workers assemble in the centre of Paris, one can’t help but think that this is less a show of resistance than a reminder that there is still an opposition.
President Macron has the support of parliament and much of the media. A majority of French people support the painful reforms to come. There will be more demonstrations. But France appears ready for change.
Arjun Neil Alim is a student of History and International Relations at LSE and Sciences Po.
