Greta Thunberg Joins French School Protests as 6,800 Arrested Nationwide

Greta Thunberg Joins French School Protests as 6,800 Arrested Nationwide Greta Thunberg joined student protesters in Saint-Denis, France, on Tuesday as nationwide demonstrations over education reform entered their fourth week, with thousands arrested and hundreds of schools closed. Greta Thunberg joined student protesters in France on Tuesday as nationwide demonstrations over education reform entered their fourth week, with thousands of arrests and widespread school closures reported. The 23-year-old Swedish activist appeared outside Lycee Paul Eluard in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, where the protest movement first gained traction. More than 6,800 people have been detained since the protests began in September, according to French authorities. Demonstrators have set fires, erected barricades and confronted riot police in cities across France, although many protests have remained peaceful. About 161,500 people marched across France on Tuesday, including 41,500 in Paris, according to Interior Ministry figures.Student demands fuel school closuresThe Education Ministry said 214 schools were closed. Education Minister Edouard Geffray told France Inter radio that about 200 schools were closed, suggesting some closures were safety precautions because they were on planned march routes. Students are demanding more teachers, better facilities and shorter school days. They have complained about deteriorating buildings, teacher shortages and school days that can stretch from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has asked ministers to address their demands.Thunberg said the French pupils deserved wider support. She told reporters, We are inspired by the young people who are demanding their basic rights. They should know that all over the world we are following these developments. She added, Whether it is not funding schools enough, or the climate crisis, or social injustice crises, it is about time that young people are stepping up and reclaiming that future.Thunberg condemns violent police responseThunberg also criticized the police response as extremely violent, saying authorities were protecting the status quo and ignoring young people's demands. The protest movement has added to a sense of uncertainty and crisis engulfing France six months ahead of a presidential election. The cash-strapped government has promised to act but has little room for maneuver as concerns over national debt and the budget deficit push borrowing costs to the highest level in years.Left-wing politician Jean-Luc Melenchon joined demonstrators in Paris on Tuesday. Far-right National Rally leader Marine Le Pen has condemned violence by protesters and called for those responsible for damaging schools to pay for repairs. Le Pen, the frontrunner to replace President Emmanuel Macron according to opinion polls, has said she would slash spending to bring public finances under control. President Donald Trump weighed in on the turmoil last week, blaming mass migration rather than complaints about education.He wrote on Truth Social on Oct. 6, What is happening in France is nothing less than out of control mass migration. This is not about schools, this is about Islam wanting to take over a once great Country. A 15-year-old boy lost his hand and part of his lower arm after picking up a police dispersal grenade that detonated during a demonstration in Lens.French authorities subsequently suspended the use of the type of stun grenade involved in the incident.