I came to France to study art. Now I’m part of a student uprising

When I moved to Nantes, western France, last month, for my semester abroad studying fine art at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, little did I know that I would find myself in the thick of a national student protest – one that has seen schools burn, a headteacher doused in petrol and set alight, and a 15-year-old pupil having his hand blown off, reportedly by a police grenade

I didn’t take much notice of the protests at first. Complaining about the state of France’s education system is as much a part of everyday conversations here as Brits talking about the weather

Then, last week, one of the biggest high schools in town, the Nelson Mandela Lycee, was set on fire as protesters blockaded themselves inside. Our class group chat exploded with messages and TikTok videos of the main building engulfed in flames. It has since become a flashpoint – the moment that the demonstrations became something much darker

That night, we all went out to the bars. The fire was on everyone’s mind, but no one was shocked by what had happened – which, in a way, felt more shocking than the fire. In the UK, if the school next to my university had been set alight by protesting teenagers, I’m pretty sure the majority student response would not have been a Gallic shrug of indifference

The protests have since become unavoidable. More of my friends are talking about joining the protests, explaining that greater investment is sorely needed in French schools. (I’m still unconvinced that burning something down is a particularly effective strategy for improving it.) As banners go up across other schools in solidarity, I’ve noticed police and police cars grow in number

For the first time, one of my classes was cancelled today, because our professor wanted to join the march – as did I and many of my friends. Across the country, students, parents and teachers from an estimated 1,800 high schools have taken to the streets in what is being billed as the biggest day of action of the demonstrations so far, with more than a quarter of a million protesters. Since the start of term last month, they have only increased in size.

Right now, the demonstrations appear entirely peaceful – I doubt anyone looking to spark violence likes a 10am start. One friend, who arrived at the beginning, told me how police were searching their bags and checking the slogans on their signs, which included innocent enough phrases such as “Parents from the Nelson Mandela Lycee”

I was initially scared to join in. But it’s not like I could do anything else today with my town’s streets being blocked. Social media really does show the worst of it but, in Nantes at least, all has been calm so far

Everyone is chanting and clapping, and a lot of people have taken to wearing gas masks. But it doesn’t feel threatening, besides the presence of armed police reminding us of the potential for the situation to deteriorate

Violence has become synonymous with this student demonstration. Chatting to friends back in the UK, many assume it’s just people wanting to set bins on fire and cause unrest for the sake of it. This is happening. However, this doesn’t make the students’ cause any less legitimate, or their feelings of neglect any less real

My experience of the French school system is limited, although what I have experienced has been problematic. My school isn’t built for the heat. Just last week, my classroom was so hot – in autumn – that I came close to collapsing. I really can’t imagine how it was during the endless summer heatwaves

Teaching in France has its flaws, too. Ever since I arrived, one of my teachers has been off ill, won’t be back until at least mid-October – and we’ve had no replacement cover. I’ve had Wednesday free since I’ve arrived, the class having simply been abandoned. This is the sharp end of under-investment in French schools that the protesters are angry about

Friends who have been through the French system have told me that they’re not at all surprised that protests are taking place, nor that they have escalated to such extremes. They tell me the already crumbling facilities are bad, class sizes too large, and the quality of teaching even worse

No one, out of all the students in Nantes I have had dealings with, questions the rationale behind the protest. In truth, I’m impressed by the level of solidarity. The violence, however, is inexcusable

*Caroline Brown is a pseudonym. Interview by Esme Gordon-Craig

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