Student Protests Erupt Across France Amid Left-Wing Activism

France has descended into chaos due to large-scale student protests, with left-wing groups taking advantage of the dissatisfaction stemming from deteriorating educational facilities. In Paris, host Harris Faulkner discussed the civil unrest with foreign correspondent Jeff Paul, noting that over 5,000 individuals have been arrested, and nearly 200 have sustained injuries.

One of the more striking visuals emerging from these riots was a school on fire in Nantes, where students were demanding better education. As I scrolled through social media, I saw a harrowing image of flames engulfing a trash can outside Lycée Nelson Mandela, which quickly spread to the school’s exterior. Fortunately, all students evacuated safely from their classrooms.

This school, which opened just 12 years ago at a cost of about €64 million and was once seen as a beacon of hope, is now closed for repairs, leaving its 1,700 students to learn from home for the time being.

According to the education minister, 24 schools have been vandalized in various ways since late September, impacting around 30,000 students who won’t be returning to their classrooms anytime soon. Over 6,500 arrests have occurred, largely among minors. At least 215 students and 85 teachers and staff have been injured during the turmoil, including a incident where a 16-year-old lost vision in one eye. In La Ciotat, a physics teacher suffered injuries after being attacked by a student while trying to extinguish a fire.

Media entities and organizations like Amnesty International have spotlighted the students’ calls for improved educational conditions, while also acknowledging the violence committed by some protestors. The main demands include hiring more teachers, reducing class sizes, and improving school facilities.

In some of the more unsettling footage from the protests, teachers were seen marching alongside students, with some parents and union members joining in as well. The mayor of Saint-Denis, Bally Bagayoko, supported students blockading their school, suggesting that violence can sometimes be justified, although he later advocated for de-escalation.

This turmoil prompts reflection on how a nation that has produced great thinkers and advocates for education has witnessed schools being reduced to ashes during a quest for better educational standards.

The ongoing protests in France can, in some ways, be viewed as part of a larger narrative that echoes sentiments of White guilt, a concept explored by my father, Shelby Steele, since the 1980s. For him, White guilt isn’t individual but rather represents a collective weight. Few current White individuals are directly responsible for historical injustices, so how can guilt be personal?

White guilt is often described as a collective blame attached to all Whites for historical wrongs, creating a perception of whiteness as an emblem of systemic evil. In this dynamic, the oppressed gain a sense of power through victimhood, while those perceived as oppressors attempt to secure moral standing by deferring to the demands of the oppressed. Yet, in this cycle, children become mere pawns.

Today’s students, unlike those in the 1960s, are often taught that they are oppressed, despite not experiencing colonialism directly. Shockingly, one of the prevalent symbols at these protests is the Palestinian flag, which, while unrelated to educational issues in Nantes, captures the broader movement’s sentiment.

Raising that flag serves a dual purpose: it accuses France of complicity in oppression akin to that of Israel, while simultaneously framing the students as the new victims. The notion of victimhood provides a sense of innocence and moral authority.

When the mayor of Saint-Denis suggests that violence can be legitimate, he mirrors rhetoric from movements like Black Lives Matter. If he openly condemned the students, he risks being branded a traitor to the cause. The narrative must maintain its focus on victimhood.

Protests have spread from suburbs into Paris, affecting elite schools and even private institutions. Notably, many students from these schools come from relatively privileged backgrounds. The notion of White guilt seems to reward those who denounce the historical wrongs of the West, effectively allowing them to retain a sense of innocence.

France, regardless of its attempts to restore order, continues to be seen as the oppressor, fostering grievances that won’t be relinquished. An example of this complexity emerged when a care worker attempted to protect public property and was met with aggression; even then, the cause of the students was still deemed “noble, legitimate.”

The underlying issue here isn’t just about physical structures like schools but touches on a national identity that struggles to defend its values without first reckoning with its past actions. White guilt complicates this defense, making it an especially potent force in America and beyond. Even as schools burn, the narrative becomes one of social justice.