Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has joined thousands of protesting students across France as anger mounts over decaying educational infrastructure and severe official crackdowns. Thunberg arrived Tuesday morning at the Paul Eluard high school in the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with demonstrators. She fiercely criticized the state, declaring that the youth are systematically excluded from public discourse and that their futures are being stolen away.

The widespread demonstrations expose the deep institutional decay under the French regime, with students revolting against neglected school buildings, acute staffing shortages, and unmanageable class sizes. Hundreds of schools nationwide have seen entrance blockades and improvised barricades. What began as scattered classroom grievances escalated rapidly last week when more than 70,000 people flooded the streets, heavily supported by labor unions and the left-wing opposition.

The Paris regime has met the student movement with an exceptionally heavy hand, drawing widespread condemnation. Lawyers wearing their official robes were forced to form a human chain to shield young protesters from aggressive policing. Staggeringly, over 6,800 individuals—predominantly minors—have been placed into custody by the regime, while at least 24 formal investigations have had to be opened into allegations of police brutality.

French regime leader Emmanuel Macron purportedly appealed for calm and patience, arguing that deep-seated structural issues require consultations rather than disruption. However, with roughly 200 schools shut down and growing anger over institutional decay, the student demonstrations are already scheduled to merge this weekend with broad anti-inflation rallies, threatening the regime with even greater civil disorder.

Source: www.aljazeera.com