00:00Alexander Seale is a journalist and commentator specializing in European politics.
00:05Alexander, these protests started with students demanding better conditions in schools.
00:10Why do you think they've struck such a nerve, not just in Paris, but right across France?
00:17Yes, hello, Jamie.
00:18Because they started with very concrete problems inside French schools,
00:23teachers not being replaced, deteriorating buildings.
00:26But they've tapped into something much broader.
00:30Today is important because it's no longer only lycée students.
00:35So university students, teachers, parents and trade unions are joining the mobilization.
00:43So education was the spark.
00:45But underneath, this is a wider frustration about public services, inequality and the prospects facing younger generations.
00:54This started as a protest about conditions in the classroom.
00:59But it's increasingly about whether young people believe that France is investing in their future.
01:06France is already facing very high levels of debt, a large deficit.
01:11I mean, can the government afford to meet any of the students' demands?
01:16Yes, that's probably the government's biggest practical dilemma.
01:22France is already under pressure to reduce its deficit and control spending.
01:28But many of the students' demands ultimately require more money.
01:34Replacing absent teachers, recruiting more staff and renovating aging school buildings all cost money.
01:41Other reforms such as reorganizing the school day are much less expensive.
01:47So the government will have to decide which demands it can address quickly while still convincing financial markets that it
01:57is serious about public finances.
02:00France is calling for budgetary restraint and precisely the moment when young people are demanding greater investment in public services.
02:09I think about 5,000 people have been arrested so far.
02:13There are questions about police tactics and allegations of police heavy-handedness.
02:19Is that response fueling the anger in France?
02:24Yes, there is certainly a risk of that, particularly because so many of those involved are teenagers.
02:30The Justice Ministry said 5,060 people have been placed in police custody since the unrest began, and 87%
02:40of them are minors.
02:42Around 1,800 are facing prosecution.
02:45There have been serious injuries on both sides.
02:49A 15-year-old lost his hand.
02:51And also, at the same time, hundreds of police officers have been injured, and there have been attacks on officers,
02:58too, and damaged his school.
03:00So there is a genuine violence, but images of injured teenagers are extremely powerful.
03:07Alexander, good to see you, and thanks very much for your thoughts on that.
03:10Alexander Seale, the journalist and commentator.
03:12Alexander Seale, the journalist and commentator.
