French school protests

Pippa (0:00)

From BBC Learning English, this is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines.

Phil (0:06)

In this programme, hundreds of thousands of schoolchildren protest across France.

Pippa (0:16)

Hello, I'm Pippa.

Phil (0:17)

And I'm Phil.

Pippa (0:18)

In this programme, we look at one big news story and the vocabulary in the headlines that will help you understand it.

Phil (0:25)

You can find all the vocabulary and headlines from this episode, as well as a worksheet on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.

Pippa (0:33)

So, let's hear more about this story, Phil.

Phil (0:40)

Yes, school pupils in France have been taking part in protests against the government.

Pippa (0:46)

Pupils say that they are protesting because their schools are not being well funded. They say that there aren't enough teachers and that school buildings are in a bad condition.

Phil (0:56)

Since protests began, over 6,000 people have been arrested and a number of students and police officers have been hurt.

Pippa (1:03)

The French government has said that it will review the issues that students are protesting about.

Phil (1:08)

Let's have our first headline.

This is from PBS, an American broadcaster. Student protests grip France as Prime Minister Le Corneau calls crisis meeting.

Pippa (1:19)

That headline again from PBS. Student protests grip France as Prime Minister Le Corneau calls crisis meeting.

Phil (1:27)

This headline is about the impact of these protests. In the article, the writer mentions the crisis meetings of politicians, hundreds of arrests and injuries, and the impact it could have on future elections.

We're going to learn the word grip.

Pippa (1:43)

Yes, literally grip means to hold on to something strongly. If you grip something, you hold it so tightly it won't come out of your hands.

Phil (1:51)

There are also some objects that can grip things. Paint or glue grips on to things, it doesn't move off, or car tyres grip the road, they don't slip.

Pippa (2:02)

In this story, grip is a metaphor. If an event grips a country or a city, then it holds on to people's attention. Many people are affected by the protests or are interested in them.

Phil (2:14)

It's not just protests that can grip a country. Emotions like fear or excitement can grip an entire nation.

Pippa (2:25)

We've had grip. Hold on to people's attention.

Phil (2:31)

For example, the country was gripped by excitement after their team reached the final for the first time.

Pippa (2:42)

This is Learning English from the News, our podcast about the news headlines. Today, we're talking about school protests in France.

Phil (2:50)

The French government reported that at least 24 schools had been burnt or damaged in the protests.

One protester in Lens had their hand blown off by a police grenade. Another protest in a Paris suburb led to a protester having their jaw broken.

Pippa (3:06)

Let's have another headline. This is from the Irish Times, an Irish newspaper.

Inside the school protests in France that have spiralled into arson and street violence.

Phil (3:18)

And that headline again from the Irish Times, an Irish newspaper. Inside the school protests in France that have spiralled into arson and street violence.

Pippa (3:27)

This headline is about the way that protests have led to arson, that's setting things on fire, and street violence. We're going to learn the word spiral.

Phil (3:36)

A spiral is a shape. So think of a snail's shell, or what happens when you get a string and wind it round in circles.

The important thing is that each circle is a little bit bigger than the last one, or above the previous one.

Pippa (3:50)

We also use spiral as a verb, and often metaphorically. If something spirals, then it gets worse, more serious, or out of control as it develops.

Phil (4:00)

In this story, what started as protests have got more serious and now include things like arson and street violence.

Pippa (4:07)

A common phrase is spiral out of control, which means that things are hard to stop.

Phil (4:12)

Crowd behaviour, violence, riots, and fire are all things that can spiral.

Pippa (4:23)

We've had spiral, get worse, often in an uncontrolled way.

Phil (4:31)

For example, house prices have been spiralling recently. They're becoming unaffordable.

This is Learning English from the News from BBC Learning English. We're talking about school children protesting in France.

Pippa (4:47)

Many schools across France have been closed by the protests, which have been getting bigger.

Phil (4:52)

There has been disagreement between the French Education Ministry and trade unions about the exact number of schools that have been closed.

Pippa (4:59)

Our next headline is about school closures and is from earlier in the week.