On the Road to Losing Control: How Did France's "Student Revolt" Become a National Crisis?

More than a quarter of a million French people took to the streets to protest study conditions, which escalated into violent clashes with police. Dr. Esther Lopatin explains the background to the crisis, the far left's support for the protests, and the position of the right led by Marine Le Pen, who receives about 35% support in the polls.

More than a quarter of a million French people took to the streets in a protest that began with complaints about inferior study conditions in the periphery – crowded, neglected classrooms without teachers. The protest spread to hundreds of schools and turned into violent clashes with police. Dr. Esther Lopatin, a Europe expert from Tel Aviv University, explains that the far left led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon supports the protests, while Marine Le Pen of the right takes the opposite stance. According to her, 74% of French people expect the situation to worsen, and they hope the 2027 elections will bring change. Le Pen, who receives about 35% in the polls, promises to cut taxes and reduce bureaucracy while preserving French identity. Lopatin notes that the French have experience with violent revolutions, starting with the French Revolution that ended in the guillotine, and that the disproportionate police response could escalate the situation.

On the Road to Losing Control: How Did France's "Student Revolt" Become a National Crisis?