UW-Madison students and faculty explored the worldwide implications of the recent student protests in France in a panel discussion Tuesday at the Pyle Center.
The protests are in response to an employee reform bill that would impact workers, mainly students, under the age of 26.
The panel was made up of two UW-Madison professors and two students, who discussed their view of the reform, the response of the youth and the political implications for France.
The core of the situation is that there has been a big swell against employee reform led by high school and university students,\ said panelist Jonathon Zeitlin, a UW-Madison professor of sociology, history and public affairs.
""The universities are controlled by the state, so the school protests are a way to get the attention of the government and challenge the state,"" said panelist Laird Boswell, a UW-Madison history professor.
According to Zeitlin, France has strict worker protection laws that make it extremely difficult to fire workers, and the employee reform would make it easier to fire people under the age of 26. The government claims this law will decrease unemployment since employers will be more willing to hire students.
""The actual unemployment rates of the youth are said to be between 22 to 23 percent, but it's actually only about 7 to 8 percent,"" Zeitlin said.
UW-Madison graduate student Hunter Martin is currently studying in Paris and contributed to the panel by phone. He said the Sorbonne, a university in Paris, was the first building occupied by protesters.
""The students in the universities are simply alarmed by the disruption of classes and the ongoing blockage of the Sorbonne,"" Martin said.
Eric Miller, a junior at UW-Madison, attended the discussion to hear Fethi Terrouche, a graduate student at Université de Provence, who is currently doing an internship in Madison.
""The situation is extremely important because it is at the center of French society and is encompassing French culture,"" Miller said.
Miller said he was interested in hearing Terrouche, who had spoken earlier about the protest in his French business class, explaining what is going on from the point of view of a French student.
""It's important for students to know about student movements in other countries that are somewhat similar to us,"" Boswell said. ""It's a good lesson. In other countries, students are organizing to protect their rights.""\
