00:03French police faced off with protesters in Paris on Saturday as demonstrations spread
00:09across the country, bringing together students, trade unionists and other groups angry over
00:15rising living costs, inequality and deteriorating public services.
00:20The unrest began in mid-September, when high school students in the Paris suburb of Créteil
00:25protested against teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and dilapidated school facilities.
00:32What started as a campaign for better education conditions has since grown into a wider movement,
00:38with protesters voicing frustration over fuel prices, weak public spending and concerns about
00:44France's social security system.
00:47We fight because living conditions are too harsh, because the cost of gas is too high,
00:53because high schoolers get violent and hurt everywhere all over the country because they
01:01just try to protest and ask for more teachers and decent conditions to learn in.
01:08For many students and their families, the grievances are not just about poor facilities, but also
01:14the impact of teacher shortages on their education and future prospects.
01:19For example, my little sister needs teachers.
01:22This year, she has a French degree.
01:24She has not had a French degree since the last year.
01:25She has a French degree.
01:26They have a degree, so it's very difficult for her.
01:28Especially when I see that in some schools, there are really degrading.
01:33There are no toilet.
01:33They are very dirty, they are wet.
01:35The walls, it rains, etc.
01:36On the walls, it's raining.
01:38It's raining, it's raining, it's raining, it's raining because there's no climate.
01:42The conditions are not really good for all students.
01:45Saturday's demonstrations also drew support from trade unions and members of the Yellow
01:50Vest Movement, which emerged in 2018 over fuel taxes and the cost of living.
01:56Hundreds of protest actions were planned nationwide, with tens of thousands of people expected to
02:02take part.
02:03The growing unrest adds to the pressure on President Emmanuel Macron's government as France grapples
02:09with political divisions and mounting public debt.
02:12Efforts to rein in government borrowing have unsettled investors, who have been selling French
02:18bonds and pushing borrowing costs higher, adding to the economic challenges facing the country.
02:31Efforts to rein in a country
02:34with theocaust of South
02:34You
