The Minister of Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, visited the Lycée du Parc in the 6th on Friday June 5e district of Lyon to discuss with final year students and preparatory classes the missions of the Quai d’Orsay and French diplomacy. For more than an hour, the minister explained in detail the ministry’s action and answered questions from young people on current issues.
“There is a very close link between international issues and the daily life of the French, it is important that high school students can be aware of this,” he explained, defending himself from any political communication operation.
Two demonstrations on the sidelines of the minister’s visit
A few hours earlier, in fact, the Snes-FSU section of the Lycée du Parc was moved by a visit to which the teachers were not associated, wondering about the nature of the meeting: “The minister […] will he explain to students what diplomacy is or will he take advantage of this audience to instill in them the political direction of the government?
Jean-Noël Barrot, for his part, was pleased that the students had displayed “an acute awareness of the consequences that rivalries between superpowers could have” and said he felt “a desire for commitment”.
Teachers and activists also demonstrated in front of the establishment a few minutes before his arrival. The first asking for more resources for education, and the second, pro-Palestinian activists, vituperating the position of a France which they consider “complicit” with Israel, a “terrorist state” they chanted.
