Jean-Luc Melenchon, the 73-year-old France Unbowed candidate for the French presidency, praised the nationwide student protest movement at a campaign rally in Clermont-Ferrand on Sunday. He said the mobilization, driven by high schoolers protesting deteriorating classroom conditions, teacher shortages, and inequities at schools in disadvantaged areas, showed a high level of political and union maturity among young people.
The movement has gathered strength in recent weeks, with unrest breaking out on the fringes of several gatherings: authorities report more than 5,500 arrests and hundreds of injuries since the protests began. On stage, Melenchon backed two proposals aimed at addressing student demands, lowering the voting age to 16 and scrapping selective admissions at French universities.
The remarks come months ahead of the presidential election, scheduled for April and May 2027, at the end of Emmanuel Macron's second term, which bars him from running again. Melenchon is competing against centrist candidate Gabriel Attal and far-right candidate Marine Le Pen in a race where mobilized youth could prove influential.