French Students Protest Financial Insecurity
The student protests began at the University of Lyon. (Wikimedia Commons)
A French student known as Anas K. attempted to commit suicide in Lyon, France by setting himself on fire on November 8. In a Facebook post, Anas detailed the financial difficulties he faced as a student and how his government-provided financial aid was insufficient compensation for his cost of living.
Anas attempted suicide by self-immolation outside of the Crous de Lyon, the regional public authority building that manages university services, such as student housing, grants, and disability accommodation, at the University of Lyon. According to his Facebook post, he did so because he viewed the building as a “political target” that represented “the higher education ministry and, by extension, the whole government.”
In the same post, he accused three of France’s most recent presidents, Nicolas Sarkozy, François Hollande, and Emmanuel Macron, as well as the European Union, for creating his financial woes.
In response to Anas’ actions, student unions all across France made public statements of support and even staged rallies to bring attention to both Anas and his cause. On November 12, hundreds of students in Lyon and across France voiced their anger and offered their support by staging protests. The hashtag #LaPecariteTue (financial insecurity kills) also became trending on Twitter.
According to France 24, a lecture by François Hollande at the University of Lille was cancelled due to student demonstrations that were linked to the outcry.
France 24 also reports that, on the same day, the main gate to the Higher Education Ministry in Paris was torn down and the phrase “financial insecurity kills” was written on a nearby wall.
According to France 24, the French government is allegedly closely monitoring these protests for fear of them escalating to the level of the Yellow Vest movement protests that began only a year ago.
Orlane François, a member of the National Federation of Students’ Associations (La FAGE), told France 24, “Today, 20 percent of students live under the poverty line, one in two students admit to skipping meals because they have to make financial choices and a third do without medical care.”
He also added, “Student financial insecurity is something concrete that we see on the ground and it continues to rise.”
Studying for a basic university degree in France is free. However, the cost of living and attending university is not fully subsidized.
Orlane François told France 24 that “back-to-school costs go up every year, the cost of living, too, and rents in particular, but social assistance is not up to the task.”
France’s Higher Education Ministry says that it devotes 5.7 billion euros (($6.3 billion) per year to financial aid for students – more money than the budget of the foreign ministry.