00:01Violent clashes on the streets of France, scenes making headlines around the world.
00:07But the protests began peacefully, with students demanding better learning conditions for weeks.
00:1517-year-old Lina Metouchy is fighting for a better future.
00:21They need to stop sacrificing children and public services.
00:27Videos like this have been circulating on social media, rats and run-down schools in the poorer suburbs of Paris.
00:34Students took to the barricades. Others soon followed, including here in Agnières, a more affluent suburb.
00:44They're angry at a government that has ignored their demands, even after weeks of protests.
00:50Until recently, 18-year-old university student Idris Mousouni attended this school.
00:59It's sad. The government doesn't understand young people, doesn't even try.
01:03They treat us like enemies. We're angry. It's as if we don't exist.
01:08We have leaks, the heat doesn't work, and in the summer it's hot.
01:12But we only get attention when there are riots. I don't condone violence, but we have to make ourselves heard.
01:21The far-left LFI party has backed the students from the start, drawing criticism from other parties.
01:29Lina welcomes any support, and identifies with many of the LFI's views.
01:34We don't need the LFI to protest, but it's good we have their support.
01:38We want all of France to listen, not just one party.
01:44She's been protesting from the very beginning.
01:48Hello, Mom.
01:51Today, Lina is joining the biggest demonstration yet.
01:54For the first time, students are taking the lead, she says, in a movement that's grown into a much broader
02:00struggle.
02:02I'm off to the demo at one.
02:05Be careful.
02:11We're doing this for you, too. Today, everyone's coming together.
02:14Students, farmers, yellow vests, the unemployed.
02:18They'll all be there.
02:20We run a restaurant. It's getting harder. Prices keep going up.
02:24People have less money and are spending less.
02:27Your daughter's fighting for your future, too?
02:30Exactly.
02:32Lina's parents came to France from Algeria in the 1990s.
02:37For her, the protests aren't just about a fairer society.
02:40They're also about securing a place in France for immigrants and their children.
02:45Like many of the students, Lina opposes Marine Le Pen's far-right anti-immigration national rally party,
02:51which is leading in the polls ahead of next year's presidential election.
02:57We've always told our children to be proud to be French, but never to forget their roots.
03:05The far-right makes us feel unsafe.
03:07It's important to stand up for who I am.
03:10I'm proud to be French, but I'm also proud of my Algerian and Kabale roots.
03:15It's important we show up, even if we have to be careful.
03:22Student protests are nothing new in France.
03:26But sociologist Patrick Singolany says this movement is different in some key ways.
03:33There used to be a clear divide between young Parisians and those from poorer suburbs.
03:39Now students are standing together.
03:42They're united by uncertainty about the future, from jobs to climate change.
03:47Young people are becoming politically active.
03:50It's a moment they'll never forget.
03:54The protests could deepen France's political divisions and benefit parties on both the left and right.
04:02The far-left LFI could gain ground, but so could the national rally, especially after the recent violence.
04:09The far-right party is presenting itself as a defender of law and order.
04:14There's a sense that the ruling class keeps reproducing itself without making any real difference to people's lives.
04:20So it's reasonable to assume that parties at both extremes will benefit.
04:27Still, Lina and Idris hope the protests will shift the political balance to the left.
04:32But only Idris is old enough to vote.
04:38I think a lot of people will join us when they see us standing together against the far-right.
04:45I hope future students will have decent schools without unbearable heat and constant leaks.
04:51And I hope for a France where everyone belongs, whatever their religion or background.
04:59Lina has no intention of backing down.
05:03Not until the government takes action and invests in education.
05:13You
