By: Liv Armstead
Anger came to a boiling point this past weekend in Paris, France as protests across the country continued over school funding and rising living costs, per ABC News.
According to officials, more than 400,000 people rallied across France alone and police officers made almost 1,000 arrests.
The march in Paris on October 24th started out peaceful but quickly turned violent after masked protesters began throwing objects and fireworks at police who, in return, threw sound grenades, tear gas and shot water cannons at the crowd.
The unrest came after protests started a month ago in high schools for more funding and more teachers as well as complaints about increasing costs for fuel and other essentials. All eyes are on France’s president Emmanuel Macron to see if he will rectify the ongoing situations before voters choose who will take over his presidency in May.
Mia Patterson, a Hampton University student from France, details how she personally feels about the protests and shares her perspective on the issues the protests are surrounding.
“As someone who grew up in France, I feel like these issues have been around for a long time, especially when it comes to education … school conditions have never been perfect,” said Patterson. “I also understand why people are frustrated with the rising living costs … it puts a lot of pressure on families. I think these protests show that people are tired of dealing with the same problems without seeing enough change.”
Reports say that Macron met with high school representatives Friday, October 23rd but protests were called to continue until concrete measures made by Macron in regards to overhauling university admissions were announced.
Many people are not happy with the decisions that Macron has been making and are advocating for the French citizens put in compromising positions.
One protester shared her concerns about the soaring poverty rates and wealth inequality under Macron’s leadership. She explained to ABC News that she hasn’t been able to find work despite having two degrees.
“There are enormous numbers of people in the same situation as me but who aren’t privileged and who find themselves living on the streets and in squats and, frankly, it’s very tough,” said the protester, per ABC News.
