France Pledges New University Admissions System as Calls for Copycat Riots Surface in Spain
Photo: The New York TimesFrance's government pledged Monday to replace its national online university admissions platform, in an effort to calm student anger after weeks of often violent mass protests over education and living costs. Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste announced what he called substantial change, and the government said the unpopular system would be phased out by 2028. The protests have involved thousands of arrests, and student groups are pushing for more than the government has offered.
The unrest has also drawn attention in Spain. On Tuesday, anonymous messages on TikTok, WhatsApp and Telegram called for violent riots across Spain on Saturday, October 31, Halloween, inspired by events in France. The messages use the tag Blocus, the French word for blockade, which was also used to rally violent protests in Barcelona over the weekend and in Bilbao on Monday. Some messages began circulating as early as October 18. Accounts behind the Barcelona calls disappeared and were replaced by new ones, which named Madrid, Málaga and Granollers as targets.
The New York Times, on the left, leads with the French government's response. Its headline says the concessions are not enough to halt protests, and it stresses the 2028 phase-out and student groups' demands for more. In the portion available, it does not mention Spain. Breitbart, on the right, leads with Spain and frames the French events as a model for violence abroad. It relies on Spanish outlets, chiefly El Mundo, and details the social media tactics and target cities. In the portion available, it does not mention Baptiste or the admissions pledge. Both treat the French protests as the backdrop, but one centers on the government's policy and the other on the spread of unrest. AP, grouped as alternative, mostly matches the left, adding Baptiste and the arrests.
How the sides differ Left sources stress France's concessions falling short of student demands; right sources focus on online calls for French-inspired violent riots in Spain; alternative sources stress the pledge and arrests.
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The New York Times leads with the French government's promise to phase out the admissions system by 2028 and says student groups want more, so protests continue.
AP reports the government's pledge to replace the admissions platform, naming Minister Philippe Baptiste, and ties it to weeks of violent protests and thousands of arrests.
Breitbart leads with Spanish reports of social media calls for French-inspired violent riots on Halloween, citing El Mundo and describing TikTok, WhatsApp and Telegram messages and targeted cities.