Chinese students in Paris hunker down as city braces for more mass protests
Most students say the violence has not put them off living in France, though they worry the unrest could boost the far-right
For many Chinese students living in Paris, the events last Saturday were their first taste of a major French protest turned violent. While most said the experience had not put them off staying in France, many said they worried about the country’s broader social, economic and political trajectory – and how the unrest might further boost the far-right.
“I was not really shocked by the scenes of violence,” said Hannah Zhang, who moved to France for graduate school in 2024. “It was more like, ‘Ah, here they go again’.”
