France: Students again protest education system

By Yusuf Ozcan

PARIS (AA) - High school students in Paris once again took to the streets on Tuesday to protest French President Emmanuel Macron’s educational policies.

Organized by student unions, hundreds of students gathered along Descartes Street and walked toward Republic Square chanting anti-Macron slogans.

Showing solidarity with students who two weeks ago were brought to their knees by the police, and their hands tied, the students protested in the same posture.

The high school pupils have been staging protests for around two weeks in various cities throughout the country.

During last week’s “Black Tuesday” protests, some 450 high schools were totally or partially closed across France.

On Dec. 5 and 6, over 700 students were arrested during nationwide demonstrations.

Since Nov. 17, France has seen demonstrations by thousands of people protesting the economic squeeze on the middle class.

The demonstrators wearing bright yellow vests -- dubbed the Yellow Vests -- have been gathering in major French cities, including Paris.

According to a recent survey, 84 percent of the French people -- mostly from the middle-income group -- support the protests.

The Yellow Vest protests started in France but spilled over to other European countries, including Belgium and the Netherlands.