This Saturday, September 7, the people of Nice gathered at 10 am – Garibaldi Square to protest against the appointment of the new Prime Minister, Michel Barnier, by Emmanuel Macron. Initiated by the Student Popular Front, the movement gathered 900 demonstrators according to the authorities, 1,500 according to unions.
“A revenue, for the youth!”, “Macron, step down, Barnier, step down!”, chanted the procession, led by the Student Popular Front (FPE), the initiator of the mobilization. Alexis was among the youngest demonstrators. Just 17, the young girl is already aware of the current political issues. “I’m here because I want to fight for our rights, for our choices to be respected,” she explained, adding that the President “did not respect the voice of the people and still chose to appoint a right-wing minister.
“Once again, the voice of the people has not been heard”
A few meters further, Mathieu, 22, joined in the demonstration’s chants: “We want Lucie Castets!” Accompanied by a friend, this Nissard did not hesitate to respond to the call of the Student Popular Front. Mathieu denounces a denial of democracy following the nomination of Michel Barnier, even supported by the Mayor of Nice. After a landslide victory for the New Popular Front in the legislative elections, the young man asserts that the government should have appointed Lucie Castets, candidate of the New Popular Front, as Prime Minister.
“I do not agree! We did not vote for this. We end up with a Prime Minister from the right. It is ridiculous, especially because their party only got 6% in the legislative elections! We want Lucie Castets! Once again, the voice of the people has not been heard!”
Honor to Nissard traditions
In this atmosphere of discontent, the demonstrators still managed to find a way to entertain themselves. There’s nothing better than the paillassou, a traditional game from the Nice Carnival, to liven up the atmosphere. In the middle of this crowd, four people, holding a cloth, had fun throwing in the air the straw puppet that looked remarkably like Emmanuel Macron.
Together to fight against student precariousness
Beyond the highly contested appointment of Michel Barnier, the youth of Nice is demanding decent study conditions and insists on the financial aspect, particularly extending the Crous meal at 1 euro for all students and a universal autonomy income of 1,200 euros.
For Mathis, 22, the situation is critical. According to him, it is not “normal that students have to juggle, on top of their studies, multiple small jobs to survive.” The flag-bearer of the Student Popular Front believes that “France has funds, but they are not used correctly,” particularly “for the youth and the people.
Students under water
According to student organizations, students have to shell out no less than 80 euros per month for housing, transportation, and leisure. Additional expenses include 44 euros for food and 24 euros for energy. Note that the total cost of school entry has increased by 2.7% this year, totaling 3,157 euros compared to 3,024 euros in 2023.
Because of these high expenses, many students abandon their studies. This trend affected 12% of them in 2023. Rebecca Chibane, co-president of the Student Popular Front, points out the President’s negligence regarding this constantly evolving crisis.
“He is drowning us with his liberal policies, which are totally harmful to students. In seven years, and particularly in the last three, student precariousness has exploded. For this school year, we organized a school supply drive for young people worth 600 euros. It was entirely distributed within two days, a record turnout. It is discouraging to see so many students in need.”
Aside from Nice, over 110,000 people demonstrated in nearly 150 cities across France against “Macron’s coup de force”, according to the Ministry of the Interior.
