Photo courtesy of Meghan Limaye ’28
In France, an ordinary school day can turn into a march through the streets, and a small catalyst can spark a nationwide call for change. Recently, students across France have been protesting problems in public education, including teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating buildings, and a lack of supplies. What began in the Paris suburbs quickly spread to hundreds of schools and citywide marches, bringing students, teachers, parents, and other supporters together. While the protests have drawn attention to conditions students say have been neglected, they have also raised questions about how far protests should go and whether violence detracts from the original argument.
For French native and Upper School French teacher Christele Furey, protesting is not exactly unusual. Protests are part of the country’s culture. As Furey echoes, “France always has protests. If something is imperfect, people take to the streets.” The current demonstrations began with students demanding better schools, but eventually grew to include other frustrations, too. According to reports from France, students have raised concerns about insufficient teachers, overcrowded classrooms, poor building conditions, and a lack of school supplies. Furey explains that the protests began in a poorer area outside Paris, where schools have fewer resources than those in wealthier communities. Because education in France is free, funding shortages can become especially noticeable when schools struggle to provide basic necessities.
Upper School history teacher and faculty advisor of Young Independents Dr. Topher Row asserts that peaceful protest is an important part of an educated society. He describes the ability to assemble and express concerns as a principle connected to the Enlightenment and the foundations of democratic government. “Peaceable assembly is a hallmark of an enlightened society,” Dr. Row says. French students’ concerns about school conditions deserve attention. Row had not previously known that some schools were experiencing such serious problems, and the demonstrations helped make those conditions more visible. However, he draws a clear line between peaceful protest and violence. “When you burn down a town hall or destroy someone’s business, that is not peaceful protest anymore,” he states.
Similarly, Furey says the protests eventually went “way overboard.” What started as relatively peaceful demonstrations about the state of France’s schools expanded to address broader political and economic frustrations. Some participants began looting and vandalizing buildings, including a historic city hall, the Hôtel de Ville in Limoges, which was set on fire. For Furey, that damage creates a problem for the original cause. France relies heavily on tourism, and damage to historic sites can discourage visitors, potentially hurting the economy and making it harder to provide funding for schools. Small business owners across Paris have watched helplessly as their stores have been ransacked, losing everything in a day for a cause that doesn’t pertain to them. “When protests become violent, people stop focusing on what the students were originally asking for,” she says. She believes peaceful demonstrations and communication with administrators are far more effective at calling attention to a problem. To the same end, Tyler Forbes ’28 comments, “[If you are] trying to better your country, destroying it is not a good start.” In this way, as Brennan Ungerleider ’29 points out, protests can be a double-edged sword: “Sometimes protests are good because they can actually make things better, but sometimes they can make things worse.”
Clearly, student protests are surging across France and making a large impact, whether positive or negative. Outside of France, however, and more specifically, at EA, student political involvement and perspectives vary. Aymee Ellis ’29, an Australian exchange student, sees protests as vital: “People protest because they want their opinions to be heard and they want something to change.” Ellis notes people in Australia can sometimes feel more connected to their communities because of their smaller population. She contrasts that with the United States, where many political and social issues compete for attention. “In a smaller community, it can feel like people have more of a voice,” she says.
Similarly, Forbes recognizes the importance of protests, having attended a “No Kings” Rally, where people gathered in a town square with signs and chants expressing opposition to President Donald Trump and his policies. He describes the event as peaceful, with people cheering and supporting nearby. “It was people coming together and expressing what they believed in,” he says. In the same way, Forbes suggests that students should consider speaking up through demonstrations or otherwise, especially on issues that matter to them, even if adults do not always take them seriously. Personally, he would consider protesting issues such as gas prices, government policies, and international conflicts.“Just because we’re students doesn’t mean our opinions don’t matter,” he points out.
On the other hand, Cyrian Foppa Kouahou ’27, another EA student, has never attended a protest and would not currently participate in one. He describes protests as political and potentially unsafe, especially for younger students who could put themselves or their families at risk. “Right now, I think it could be unsafe, and I wouldn’t want to put myself or my family in that position,” he says. Still, he believes protests can bring attention to problems that might otherwise be ignored, pointing to the cause behind the demonstrations in France. “If students aren’t getting the basic things they need, I think that’s something worth speaking up about,” he says. He also believes protests can lose focus when participants begin bringing in unrelated political issues.
Photo courtesy of The New Yorker
Demonstrations aren’t the only way that students can get involved. At EA, students can participate through discussion in class and in clubs such as Young Independents, Young Democrats, or Young Republicans, and learn about current events. Row points to student conversations about elections and international issues as examples of how students can become more engaged. He also emphasizes the importance of voting for those who are eligible, describing it as a right that people should not take for granted. “Voting is a precious right, and people should take it seriously,” Dr. Row says.
Social media is another way that students can make their voices heard. Furey points to social media as a major reason the demonstrations spread. “Social media makes it possible for something happening at one school to spread everywhere,” she says. Even though the French protests are happening thousands of miles from EA, Ungerleider has heard about them through online coverage. “You can hear about something happening in another country almost right away,” she says. That visibility shows how quickly a local protest can become an international discussion. Social media can become helpful, spreading information, organizing demonstrations, and even raising money for people in need. At the same time, it can spread misinformation and encourage people to join causes without understanding them fully. Dr. Row encourages students to follow international news through sources such as the Associated Press, BBC, and Reuters. He believes EA students should understand events beyond the United States and develop the ability to evaluate different perspectives. The school’s goal, he states, is to develop “cultivated, cosmopolitan, curious world citizens.” He also believes teachers should encourage students to challenge ideas, defend their positions, and listen to others without pressuring them to adopt a particular political opinion.
For EA students, the question may not be whether they would ever protest, but how they would choose to make their voices heard. Whether through a rally, a school club, a classroom discussion, social media, or voting, students have ways to participate in the issues that affect them. The French protests demonstrate that young people can help bring attention to those issues. The challenge is making sure the message remains stronger than the damage that might surround it.