Students and officer cadets briefly blocked France's Polytechnique school in support of the high school movement, highlighting ongoing protests across the country.
Students block military school
A dozen students and officer cadets briefly blocked the prestigious military engineering school Polytechnique on the Saclay plateau in Essonne on Tuesday, October 20, in support of the high school movement, according to an AFP journalist. Symbolic protest at the school
Signs and banners with messages such as "Support for high school students" and "Not being angry is a privilege" were placed on bins blocking the entrance to the main building of the institution, next to a large "X" (the nickname of the school) illuminated. Teachers wait in the rain
Physics teachers, who had come to give classes to the officer cadets, waited in good spirits and in the rain in front of the blocked building. "It is not a rebellion, it is in support of the high school movement," insisted Pierre, an officer cadet (whose first name has been changed at his request) to AFP. Support from other schools
Some mobilized students came from other grandes écoles located on the same campus. Another student, annoyed by the blockage, tried to remove it. "I just want to work!" he said. Blockade ends calmly
Shortly after 8 a.m., the blockage was lifted calmly by students and firefighters attached to Polytechnique for the resumption of classes. Higher education disruptions
According to the Minister of Higher Education Philippe Baptiste, "yesterday we were at 25%" of higher education institutions disturbed. "Many institutions have switched to distance learning," he stated on Franceinfo TV. Blockades continue in some areas
These blockades are part of a new episode of high school blockades, some of which have been canceled, such as in Rennes, on the orders of the prefecture in the night from Monday to Tuesday.
