Dozens of metal placards remembering violent assaults lined the streets on Friday, November 13, as more than 2,200 school principals gathered across approximately thirty French cities to protest unsustainable working conditions following nearly two months of student protests.
Over 2,200 School Principals Protested Across France
- Over 2,200 school principals protested together across France on November 13.
Demonstrations Across French Cities
More than 2,200 proviseurs gathered on Friday, November 13, in roughly thirty towns throughout France to display an unusual level of collective anger, TF1 INFO reported.
Several participants carried placards detailing the physical attacks they endured during weeks of student unrest. “We actually have a number of colleagues who are ready to hand in their keys,” one administrator in Paris told TF1 INFO in a broadcast report.
Managing Blockades and Mortar Attacks in Lyon
Working days frequently start at 5:30 in the morning for administrators trying to prevent campus blockades. Damien Coursodon, a principal in Lyon, has maintained this schedule for a month and a half, working alongside parent volunteers on Friday morning.
“You assert your presence in this space to allow those who wish to enter to enter and those who want to make demands to make demands, that belongs to them,” Coursodon told parents on Friday, according to TF1 INFO.
Coursodon sustained injuries from mortar fire inside his school lobby, resulting in six days of temporary total disability (ITT) that he chose not to take.
We believe in one essential principle, and that is educability,” Coursodon told TF1 INFO.
Despite receiving personal death threats on social media and facing anxiety from his family living on-site, he intends to keep supporting his pupils.
Demands for Police Protection in Lille
Other administrators demand reinforced police presence to maintain campus security. Florence Delannoy, a principal in Lille, called law enforcement during the TF1 INFO reporting team’s visit.
“We have had another attempt by outside students, outside youths, to set fire to trash cans,” Delannoy told TF1 INFO.
Following an arson attack on the school gate earlier in the week, Delannoy maintains constant vigilance. She said that she can only perform her duties effectively when police are present.
“We absolutely need to be able to be serene about security so that we can devote ourselves to our work, that is to say, pedagogical work and above all catching up, at least partially, on what could not be done in distance learning before the holidays,” Delannoy told TF1 INFO.
The Ministry of the Interior stated on Friday evening that police presence will be reinforced outside high-risk educational establishments starting the following week.
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