Students protest against budget cuts at Warwick partner university in Bordeaux

Home to many Warwick study-abroad students, Université Bordeaux Montaigne (UBM) has been blockaded for the second time this year as anger grows in France over government budget cuts.

Students at the public university voted to block access to parts of the campus following the French government’s recent decision to slash higher education research budgets by €905 million.

The cuts are set to affect as many as 60 of the 75 French public universities including UBM, which has said that the budget reduction means it would be unable to provide power for half of the year.

The university also added that it would have to make cuts to teaching staff and place the university in €9 million of debt each academic year.

People attempting to enter the campus were met with doors rammed shut with metal gates, chairs, wooden boards, and tables

The original blockade of the university began on 20 February, and remained in place until 28 February when the university’s half term rendered the protest useless.

People attempting to enter the campus were met with doors rammed shut with metal gates, chairs, wooden boards, and tables.

The university is now in the midst of its second blockade, just over a month after the original demonstration.

After two general assemblies were held in the forecourt, the vote stood at 1,073 votes for the blockade to 585 votes against.

Students taking part in the blockade, which was put in place on Monday 24 March, are hoping that the protest will garner media attention and limit the cuts faced by the university.

The general assembly has faced both support and backlash on social media from students, with some expressing their desires to keep the university open and others stressing that they wish to benefit their education.

Alexandre Péraud, President of UBM, previously stated that there would be no police involvement in the protests, instead actively encouraging the democratic vote

Far-right student groups had reportedly threatened to disrupt the general assemblies to protest the blockade, with students asked to leave common areas “for their own safety”, instead congregating in the forecourt where security staff monitored the situation.

Staff also remain largely frustrated at the blockade, after carrying out significant work to find other ways to protest and unify the UBM community through a sole objective.

Alexandre Péraud, President of UBM, previously stated that there would be no police involvement in the protests, instead actively encouraging the democratic vote.

Police and police dogs were spotted however by student blockaders on campus at 4am on the first day of the demonstration (24 March), with students being searched and pictures of their identification being taken.

Students were also warned that if that they would be blamed no matter their involvement in the blockade, if it were to go ahead. These students later stated that they felt unnecessarily threatened by the warnings.

The police involvement sparked anger among students, and a third general assembly was called later that day at 12.30pm. A large group of students also began to pull tables and chairs through classroom windows to block the university’s doors, while other protesting students ran through the campus shouting “the university is blocked”.

Students protest at UBM holding banners saying “Money, for the universities, not for the police or the army”. Image: Bethany Sirianni / The Boar

In the face of the disruption, Péraud called for an administrative closure of the university to last for the following week.

He published an open letter, denouncing the actions of the ‘blockers’ who “forced students and staff to evacuate, [while] emptying classrooms and forcefully entering the university en masse”.

A general assembly for staff and personnel, held on the same day as the blockade began, also agreed on several courses of action, with Péraud committing to the establishment of a weekly day of mobilisation, participation in the Stand Up for Science movement, and an establishment of a common movement between staff and students.

Staff and students also joined a nationwide strike in Bordeaux, held on 27 March, holding up signs declaring “studying is a right, not a privilege”.

The University has gradually begun to reopen following the blockade, with library buildings the first to reopen on 31 March.

The Committee has called on Instagram for the reopening of some library buildings, the international language school CLEFF, and a communal space to allow students to study and collect food from food banks

However, the AG Committee, who are blockading the university, have not agreed to the new development and a new general assembly was held on Monday to discuss further action.

The Committee has called on Instagram for the reopening of some library buildings, the international language school CLEFF, and a communal space to allow students to study and collect food from food banks.

The President has blocked some of the Committee’s requests, however, including a commitment to launch a recruitment campaign for teachers and a ban on distance learning.

He also refused to hold a weekly meeting to discuss the Committee’s grievances, and has blocked the reopening of any other building until the students lift the blockade.

Chairs and tables block the entrances to the university campus amid the latest blockade attempt. Image: Bethany Sirianni / The Boar

Claims that the police were called on the students have also been denied by Péraud, who explained that he had taken action to make sure the police acted within their rights.

As buildings slowly reopen on campus, protests look set to continue. The AG Committee has announced a demonstration against the budget cuts, which will be held on 3 April at the Place de la Victoire in Bordeaux.

With both sides of the action continuing to hold discussions, it remains to be seen what will happen to the precarious state of UBM in the coming weeks.

The Boar News would like to thank Bethany Sirianni for her on-the-ground reporting of this story from Université Bordeaux Montaigne.