“Violent suppression of student demos is unacceptable.”

As French schoolchildren and students again take to the streets today, 17th Oct. Channel Island parents are marching with their kids, "not just of out solidarity, but also for their safety." Islanders surveyed condemned both the violence of the French government's repression and the media coverage of schoolchildren protests.

Guernsey and Jersey's governments and representatives in France are not issuing specific travel advice to islanders. That's despite use of chemical weapons, known as tear gas, particularly in Paris, which has triggered numerous seizures in school students and is highly dangerous to babies and younger children.

Here a round-up of islanders' reactions so far to the education protests that began in September.

"The use of grenades and other such weaponry will continue to kill and lame."

Katherine Kay Mouat grew up in Alderney, was a boarder at Blanchelande college, before she moved to Paris, where she has lived her entire adult life, working for 20 years as photo editor for news magazine U.S News & World Report. She lives in the centre of the capital, and has one son currently at university.

"The violent suppression of the student demos is unacceptable and seems to be preparing us for an extreme right government. The use of sting-ball grenades and other such weaponry will continue to kill and lame.

This is the end of a presidency with an unpopular government so using lethal force against students, teachers and others will distract the masses from other issues."

"It’s really alarming, you have a sense of just how brutal the police are being."

Paris resident Edward Carey grew up in Guernsey, attended Elizabeth College, has been living in France for 34 years. Previously a vegan café owner, he is now an urban gardener in the capital, where his son is studying in his final year of lycée.

"I’ve been seeing mainstream news where they can’t hide the fact schoolkids are getting maimed and mutilated with a very heavy-handed police presence. ‘Heavy-handed’ is too light a term. It’s so violent, it’s disproportionate. It’s really alarming, you have a sense of just how brutal the police are being.

I’m very relieved my son is not involved in the protests, so he’s not out there in a dangerous situation. I can understand why this week there were a lot of parents marching with their kids, not just of out solidarity, but also for their safety.

Politicians hide behind the fact there’s violence on both sides.

Politicians say there’s a marginal element causing trouble and then that’s the only element the media focuses on. Demands get lost when media concentrates on violence, which is always the case when you get large protests. The message gets clouded out. The attention should be on getting the education system back on its’ feet.

The government hasn’t invested at all in the education system

Whether it’s teachers, substitute teachers, or the actual schools, which are falling apart, it has got to the point where the kids are saying: 'Look we can’t go to school, we don’t have desks, there are leaks.’ And it’s symptomatic, it’s not just one or two schools. The same can be said for hospitals, for general public services. That’s why there’s solidarity among firefighters, teachers and hospital staff with school students.

There’s a big social injustice happening

When you compare schools to private education in France or certain public schools which receive a lot of funding, there’s a big social injustice happening. The kids are picking up on this and they’re reacting. They know the funding for schools is being cut again, so they're asking 'what’s on earth’s going on?'  

The kids are completely right to do what they’re doing.

There’s a lot of talk of ‘68. There were many reasons to go on demonstrations in '68, and they were proved right with hindsight. They’re essentially peaceful protests, we should be supporting them."

"There is a huge generational and social gap preventing people from understanding the importance of this movement."

French resident of Guernsey, speaking anonymously.

"France keeping up with its history of police violence is always a despicable thing to behold. I can't imagine the fear having kids in that situation, the BAC [anti-crime brigade] are just awful. I find it hypocritical to say that kids are our future whilst sacrificing their schooling and future like this and disregarding their extremely valid feelings.

The current situation is purposefully hidden and misrepresented by French media.

It's so difficult for Guernsey people to get the context of the current situation, especially as it's purposefully hidden and misrepresented by French media, and then by other media worldwide. I think there is a huge generational and social gap that is preventing people from understanding the importance of this movement.

It's hard for people unfamiliar with French law enforcement to believe police would be so atrociously violent against children.

It's hard for people who aren't familiar with French law enforcement to believe that police would be so atrociously violent against students/children without a reason other than allegedly some bins being burned. I could see how Guerns would either be absolutely shocked, or struggle to believe that there is indeed no valid reason for the violence other than terrorising children into line."

"No school trips are planned until the end of the year, to our knowledge."

The Channel Islands Office, Bureau des Iles Anglo-Normandes, BIAN, are the representatives of the governments of Guernsey and Jersey in France, based in Caen, Normandy.

îles: Is the Channel Islands office going to make a statement regarding the repression French school students are facing?

BIAN: "The Channel Islands Office, the BIAN is not in a position to make any comments, on behalf of the Governments of Jersey or Guernsey, regarding the French political situation, whatever it may be."

îles: Do you have any advice regarding school trips? Or for visitors from the islands coming to Paris this weekend, for example, the day of the big demonstration?

BIAN: "Regarding any travel in France, the FCDO issues alerts to inform citizens about any critical situation in France (and elsewhere in the world) that could disrupt transportation. Please refer to the "FCDO France Travel Advice.

No school trips are planned until the end of the year, to our knowledge."

STATES OF GUERNSEY | "I have seen reports on news channels and this unrest across France is deeply regrettable."

Deputy Steve Falla, Minister for External Relations.

No response received to questions sent to Chief Minister Deputy Lindsay De Sausmarez nor to Deputy Paul Montague, President of the Committee for Education, Sport & Culture.

GOVERNMENT OF JERSEY | "We don’t comment on internal French matters."

Justin Huggler, Head of Media Relations, Communications Service Government of Jersey.

The following questions to island governments received no responses.

-Do you have a statement on what is happening to France's schoolchildren, who include dual nationality Guernsey and Jersey children?

-Would you urge restraint and a different response from the French government than sending armed police with military-grade weaponry into schools and universities?

-Are you addressing this with partners in France? 

-Are you speaking to Guernsey or Jersey schoolchildren who are seeing this violence happening to kids their own age with psychological impact too? 

-To confirm you have no advice for Jersey or Guernsey visitors to France? Especially those travelling with children during holidays on tear gas risks?