A visit to Lyon by the Minister of Education was severely disrupted on Monday. Pap Ndiaye did not finally go to 2:30 p.m. as planned at Inspe where a hundred demonstrators were waiting for him. Equipped with pots, pans, buckets, tin biscuit boxes, whistles but also fog horns and smoke bombs, they tried to enter the building, noted an AFP journalist.
According to the Ministry of Education, which denies any “cancellation” of the visit, it was simply reorganized after these demonstrators forced their way into the National Higher Institute of Teaching and Education, shouting “we also we will pass in force”, an allusion to the 49.3 used to adopt the unpopular pension reform.
The police, present inside, prevented them from entering the building, firing tear gas.
A late announcement
The visit to the Teacher Training Institute “is not canceled, it is reversed”, the minister going first to the rectorate, then to Inspe, the ministry was told. During a tense microphone at the rectorate, Pap Ndiaye confirmed that he would then go to Inspe.
The program of the visit communicated to the media did not initially mention a trip to the rectorate.
The announcement – only two hours before – of his trip had immediately prompted a call on the networks to welcome the minister in the heckling. He nevertheless went to the insep, later in the afternoon, in order to discuss with the student teachers.