Learning from the French Student Riots

The French student protests, which began in the suburbs of France and spread nationwide, offer a view on civil disobedience and public order. What started as a peaceful protest over student conditions and funding led to violent acts of looting and arson. With over 5,000 arrests in three weeks, the protest highlights the challenges of a peaceful narrative amidst unrest. As reported by Melissa Bell from CNN, the protests have “sparked a national debate about the role of young people in shaping France’s future." What we can learn from these riots is how the public understands keeping a calm narrative amid the battles of others' more radical ideas.

Peaceful protests are a way that humans have gotten their voices heard for centuries. The French students who fought for their opinions and rights were heard, but others hijacked the protests into destruction and violence. Discipline, public support and understanding the goal can help achieve a protest with moral high ground. History has shown nonviolent protests are more effective and more likely to gain public support than violent protests. In the context of the French riots, maintaining a nonviolent stance helps the focus remain on the protesters’ demands rather than destruction. Learning how to de-escalate confrontations and avoid taunting the police can keep the emotional level down.

The protest demands must be clear as well. The French student movement’s demands were very straightforward, which helped maintain public sympathy. People saw that their feelings connected to their demands and felt connected to their pain.

Dilemma actions force authorities into a position where any response humiliates the state and highlights the injustice being protested. The public and protesters need to understand this. Starting with a peaceful march and slowly growing the group or sound can have a more lasting effect than violence. Otherwise, the idea gets lost in destruction and can give a bad image. A lot of protests are reactive in nature. They bring emotion into the mix very quickly, and that leads to destruction of property. In France, the state was more worried about disciplining teenagers than addressing educational issues in the end. The law will resort to force if they feel threatened, so there must be a strategy for the protest.

Public support is a huge reason why protests work so well; winning high moral ground requires the public's support and also engagement with opponents. Engaging with the public and changing their minds to the demands is key. Once the public is in on the demands, the protest starts to come to life. It gives the authorities no choice but to make a statement or decision.

The French student protests were fueled by deep-seated issues regarding learning conditions and school budgets. The movement’s spread shows that addressing issues with clear, peaceful and organized demands can mobilize large numbers of people. The more people protesting, the louder the message grows. As Kitty Sayers from The Guardian noted, the scale of the unrest had been “unseen in decades” as students denounced the conditions they faced. However, the high number of arrests indicates that without strict nonviolent discipline and strategic communication, movements can be overshadowed by violent outbursts. Learning from the students who started the protest can lead to less violent protests in America and make a difference. This mentality can maximize the impact needed while still preserving moral authority.