PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron believes students waging three weeks of protests that have closed many schools have "legitimate" grievances but are also being "exploited" by political forces, a government spokeswoman said on Wednesday. The leader, who is in his final six months of office, has asked the government to come up with "concrete responses" within weeks to the unrest by high school pupils, spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told reporters. She spoke after Macron held his weekly meeting with his cabinet, a day after nationwide solidarity demonstrations showed significant support for the students.
The interior ministry said 161,500 people turned out for demonstrations held in Paris and other cities. Unions organising the rallies put the figure at 480,000. Some violent scenes erupted on the sidelines of marches in Paris and Lyon, with police firing tear gas in response.
In his cabinet meeting, Macron "stressed that young people have legitimate concerns, but said these are being exploited for political purposes and turned into urban violence", Bregeon said. With French presidential elections due in April and May next year, some opposition parties have seized upon the demonstrations. — AFP
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