French Student Protests Are Justified; Violent Police Response and Political Polarization Threaten to Shape the 2027 Election
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/helen-massy-beresford. "As the mother of a student in Paris, I see what’s happening: reasonable demands met with awful violence | Helen Massy-Beresford | The Guardian." October 7, 2026. www.theguardian.com
The Gist
A British journalist living in Paris argues that French high school students protesting for better school funding have completely reasonable demands, and that police have responded with shocking, excessive violence. She warns that this polarized, angry debate—where some politicians exploit the violence instead of addressing root causes—previews how ugly the 2027 presidential election could get, especially with far-right leader Marine Le Pen now facing weaker opposition than in past elections.
Conclusion
The student protesters' demands are reasonable and the authorities' violent response is excessive, and commentators and politicians should focus on addressing the underlying causes of the protests rather than fixating on or exploiting the violence, especially given the risk of this dynamic shaping the 2027 presidential election.
Premises
- The students' demands—investment in crumbling schools, replacing absent teachers, reducing class sizes, and addressing inequality between schools—are objectively reasonable and worth protesting for.
- There is documented evidence (videos of rat-infested, flooded, crumbling classrooms) supporting the students' claims about school conditions.
- Police have used disproportionate force, including a rubber bullet that blinded a 16-year-old boy and an incident where a student lost his hand.
- Despite some protester violence, the heavy-handed police response has been widely criticized.
- Politicians like Marine Le Pen are exploiting the violence to push unrelated political agendas (anti-riot laws) rather than addressing root causes.
- The political debate around the protests is angry and polarized, mirroring the dynamics expected in the 2027 presidential election.
- Unlike in 2017 and 2022, opposition to Le Pen is now fragmented, making it less likely that a unifying centrist candidate can block her in a second-round runoff.
Assumptions
- Reasonable demands justify public protest even when protests cause disruption (school closures, blocked gates).
- Government inaction on underfunded schools for years is a legitimate grievance justifying mass mobilization.
- Police violence is categorically worse than protester violence when evaluating moral culpability in these clashes.
- Political polarization around social movements tends to benefit extremist candidates like Le Pen.
- The author's personal experience as a parent in Paris provides credible insight into the broader national situation.
- Focusing on 'the cause' rather than 'the violence' (per Faure's moon/finger metaphor) is the correct analytical approach.