France's youth undergoing 'a crisis of hope'

France24 - Oct 13, 2026

Tens of thousands of people joined rallies across France on Tuesday to support protesting high school students, boosting a movement that poses a major challenge to President Emmanuel Macron as his term in office winds down. Some 161,500 people turned out, according to the interior ministry -- more than double the 71,500 it gave for the last nationwide demonstrations on Thursday last week. Speaking with FRANCE 24's Mark Owen, Andrew Smith, Lecturer in Liberal Arts at Queen Mary's London, says that France's youth is undergoing "a crisis of hope" which is pushing "the anger and the sense that something has to change".

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