GRETA THUNBERG JOINS FRENCH STUDENT PROTESTS OVER SCHOOL CONDITIONS

Greta Thunberg joined student protests in France on Tuesday, visiting the Paul Eluard secondary school in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, where students had blockaded the building as part of a nationwide movement over education conditions. The Swedish climate activist stood with demonstrators outside the school, where more than 100 students had gathered to block the entrance. She told reporters that young people were not being included in discussions about their future and that schools were not receiving the investment they needed. Her appearance came as fresh demonstrations were held in cities across France, including Paris, Strasbourg and Nantes, marking what organisers described as the movement's fifth round of protests.

The protests began in late September over the state of school buildings, teacher shortages, crowded timetables and other problems in the education system. Last Thursday, more than 70,000 people took part in a demonstration, one of the largest since the movement began. Students have piled up bins and erected barriers outside hundreds of schools nationwide, and lawyers have formed human chains outside some sites following allegations of police brutality at the protests. Education Minister Édouard Geffray said on France Inter that about 200 schools were closed on Tuesday, fewer than the previous week, and that some schools near protest routes were closing to avoid damage. In Strasbourg, teacher Adeline Ferier said she was protesting in support of her 16-year-old daughter and criticised a government staffing plan, saying a reported cut of 1,500 posts could not be offset by what she called "pretending to pull 3,000 posts out of a hat."

Tuesday's demonstrations were backed by trade unions and the left-wing opposition party France Unbowed, with marches held through Paris and other cities. The university student union l'Union said on social media it was taking its message directly to decision-makers, posting: "They're not listening to us, so we're going to them." In Nantes, demonstrators marched behind a banner reading "schools without funding, a country without a future." A student identified as Mariolino said he believed many people in France remained motivated and that suggestions the movement would lose momentum over the school holidays reflected a misunderstanding. Thunberg said she was proud of the students, as the government faces continued pressure over school funding and staffing levels.