Protests in France: It smells like a rotten compromise

At a meeting with representatives of unions and student organizations, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu addressed the young people's demands for the first time. He promised them to improve “Parcoursup”, a platform for allocating study places at universities, in 2027 and to replace it with a different system in 2028.

According to criticism, the Parcoursup platform, which has been in use since 2018, distributes the most sought-after study places according to opaque criteria and also discriminates against young people because of their origins from less renowned lycées. The fact that many people have to wait a long time after graduating from high school, the Baccalauréat (Bac), and often don't know at the start of the semester what they can study and where, means unbearable stress for families.

The government said that this system was still better than a lottery for university places or a numerus clausus. Lecornu also wants to grant the regions responsible for maintaining the middle schools additional loans worth 5 billion euros for the renovation of the buildings, some of which are very run down. In addition, 500 positions for teachers are to be created and the problem of canceled lessons is to be addressed.

David Amiel, Minister for the State Budget, would like to finance the additional investments through more efficient taxation of companies that slip through the tax authorities' cracks thanks to "optimization tricks" or existing loopholes. So what was previously dismissed as youthful nonsense should suddenly become possible.

Both Head of State Emmanuel Macron and his Prime Minister Lecornu had so far turned a deaf ear. They responded to the protests with massive and often brutal deployments of law enforcement. Instead of intimidating the young people, this repression increased the mobilization that has spread to other social circles over the past two weeks.

Macron apparently does not see himself as part of the problem. Trade union associations and “yellow vest” ragers have joined the social movement with additional concerns. The yellow vests want to demonstrate again everywhere on October 31st together with the young people. And the unions have called a general strike for November 5th.

Lecornu's gesture doesn't change that. President Macron seems unwilling to give in. During a surprise visit to Marseille's town hall, which was attacked by rioters on October 17, he insisted solely on a return to peace and order, saying: "It is not normal for France to be in such a state, six months before the elections."

This sentence sounds as if Macron himself is not part of the problem. The head of state does not seem to be aware of any responsibility for the crisis in France. Before last Saturday, he had explicitly announced that all rallies that were not registered by “legitimate” organizations such as trade union associations would be banned. Constitutional lawyers and human rights organizations had criticized this as illegal and a serious interference with democratic rights.

With a view to the next round of the conflict on October 31, the president has advocated that the rallies be kept away from the city centers if possible and only be permitted in the outskirts. The student organizations had said before the meeting with Lecornu that they would not accept “lazy compromises”. They then explained that his offer was not enough for them.

They continue to demand “immediate 10 billion euros” in additional funding for the education system. They are also outraged because the Prime Minister first made his announcements to a few network influencers before meeting with them. For Lecornu, a serious discussion with the youth delegations seemed unnecessary.