As their schools deteriorate and the planet grows hotter, many young people in France do not have hope for a decent future. The recent protests may foreshadow a broader conflict between older generations who wield political power and younger people who must live in the world they leave behind.
PARIS—After weeks of mounting tension on the streets of Paris, my wife and I decided to take our six-year-old daughter and leave town during Saturday’s protests. When the main demonstration assembled at 2 p.m. at the Place de la République, we were hiking in the forests southeast of Paris near Fontainebleau, once an autumnal retreat and hunting ground for French kings.
PARIS—After weeks of mounting tension on the streets of Paris, my wife and I decided to take our six-year-old daughter and leave town during Saturday’s protests. When the main demonstration assembled at 2 p.m. at the Place de la République, we were hiking in the forests southeast of Paris near Fontainebleau, once an autumnal retreat and hunting ground for French kings.