French NBA star Victor Wembanyama throws support behind school protests: ‘I was in that position’

@scope (#mos-93c196d6-6e82-466d-90b2-31fc661c59e0) { @font-face {
font-family: “Independent Serif”;
src: url(“https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Serif-Medium.woff2”) format(“woff2”);
font-weight: 500;
font-style: normal;
font-display: swap;
}
@font-face {
font-family: “Independent Serif”;
src: url(“https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Serif-Regular.woff2”) format(“woff2”);
font-weight: 400;
font-style: normal;
font-display: swap;
}
@font-face {
font-family: “Independent Sans”;
src: url(“https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Sans-Regular.woff2”) format(“woff2”);
font-weight: 400;
font-style: normal;
font-display: swap;
}
@font-face {
font-family: “Independent Sans”;
src: url(“https://assets.the-independent.com/fonts/Independent-Sans-Medium.woff2”) format(“woff2”);
font-weight: 500;
font-style: normal;
font-display: swap;
}

.bookmark-experience {
box-sizing: border-box;
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
position: fixed;
top: 0;
left: 0;
right: 0;
bottom: 0;
inset: 0;
width: 100%;
height: 100%;
background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.55);
z-index: 10000;
padding: 12px;
margin: 0;
}

.bookmark-experience,
.bookmark-experience * {
box-sizing: border-box;
}

.bookmark-experience .modal {
position: relative;
width: 100%;
max-width: 400px;
margin: 0;
padding: 32px 24px 28px;
text-align: center;
color: #ffffff;
background: linear-gradient(90deg, #3b030f 0%, #3b030f 27%, #76071f 52%, #3b030f 100%);
box-shadow: 2px -2px 8px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5);
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn {
position: absolute;
top: 12px;
right: 12px;
width: 16px;
height: 16px;
cursor: pointer;
background: none;
border: none;
padding: 0;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::before,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::after {
display: block;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon {
position: relative;
width: 16px;
height: 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::before,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::after {
content: “”;
position: absolute;
top: 50%;
left: 0;
width: 16px;
height: 1.5px;
background: #ffffff;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::before { transform: translateY(-50%) rotate(45deg); }
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::after { transform: translateY(-50%) rotate(-45deg); }

.bookmark-experience .logo-row {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
margin: 0 0 24px;
}

.bookmark-experience .logo-premium-image {
display: block;
height: 24px;
width: 272px;
max-width: 86%;
object-fit: contain;
}

.bookmark-experience .headline {
font-family: “Independent Serif”, Georgia, serif;
font-weight: 500;
font-size: 28px;
line-height: 32px;
letter-spacing: -0.5px;
color: #ffffff;
margin: 0 0 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .body-text {
font-family: “Independent Serif”, Georgia, serif;
font-weight: 400;
font-size: 16px;
line-height: 22px;
letter-spacing: -0.3px;
color: #ffffff;
margin: 0 0 24px;
}

.bookmark-experience .subscribe-link {
display: flex;
align-items: center;
justify-content: center;
width: 100%;
height: 42px;
padding: 12px 16px;
background: #ffffff;
color: #76071f;
border-radius: 4px;
font-family: “Independent Sans”, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, “Segoe UI”, Roboto, sans-serif;
font-size: 14px;
font-weight: 500;
line-height: 16px;
letter-spacing: -0.5px;
text-transform: uppercase;
text-decoration: none;
}

.bookmark-experience .subscribe-link:hover,
.bookmark-experience .subscribe-link:focus {
background: #f0e6e8;
color: #76071f;
}

.bookmark-experience .login-copy {
margin: 12px 0 0;
font-family: “Independent Sans”, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, “Segoe UI”, Roboto, sans-serif;
font-size: 14px;
line-height: 18px;
letter-spacing: -0.5px;
color: #ffffff;
}

.bookmark-experience .login-link {
color: #ffffff;
text-decoration: underline;
cursor: pointer;
}

@media screen and (min-width: 600px) {
.bookmark-experience {
padding: 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .modal {
max-width: 520px;
padding: 40px 48px 32px;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::before,
.bookmark-experience .close-btn__icon::after {
width: 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .close-btn {
top: 16px;
right: 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .logo-premium-image {
height: 28px;
width: 320px;
}

.bookmark-experience .headline {
font-size: 32px;
line-height: 36px;
letter-spacing: -0.75px;
margin-bottom: 16px;
}

.bookmark-experience .body-text {
font-size: 16px;
line-height: 22px;
margin-bottom: 28px;
}
}
}

html:not(.mos-bookmark-open) .bookmark-experience { display: none !important; }

French basketball star Victor Wembanyama has offered his support to teenagers who are protesting over conditions in the country’s schools.

Official figures from the Interior Ministry indicate that 71,500 people joined demonstrations on Thursday, including 24,500 who gathered in central Paris at Place de la Bastille.

“These are systemic inequalities – problems so deep-rooted that, in fact, I’m glad that high-school students and young people in general are speaking up,” Wembanyama told a press conference on Thursday night.

“I hear them, and I support them, and I hope the people all over there will do the same.”

Tens of thousands of students have taken to the streets to protest (AP)

The San Antonio Spurs player had previously replied “I would love to” when asked by a fan on Instagram to join the protests with young people.

“I have a lot of interest. I meant it,” Wembanyama added during the press conference. “I was in that position not so long ago.”

“I’ve had the chance to escape this system, to escape these problems. But it’s chance, it’s luck. So I want to show my support.”

“It’s not something that’s completely unfamiliar to me. I went to high school in Nanterre, which was already a stronghold of ‘blocages’ back then,” he said, referring to student-led school blockades.

Widespread anxiety over state education has helped trigger some of France’s most significant protests in decades. The demonstrations started last month in high schools throughout Paris’ impoverished northern suburbs, where anger regarding teacher absences and poor facilities rapidly grew into a national movement opposing inequality, weak public spending and declining standards.

Earlier this week, it was reported that riot police used tear gas and water cannon in violent clashes with protesters.

The French interior ministry said at least 260,000 people took part in marches in multiple cities on Tuesday, including Paris, Marseille, Nantes ⁠and Lyon, while the inter-union group claimed as many as 450,000 demonstrators were involved across the country.

Half of France’s 3,700 high schools were shut or partially closed as a result of the protests, which started as an appeal for better conditions but have grown over the last fortnight and become increasingly dangerous.

Search this website