French Government Tries to Appease Critics by Delaying Action on University Bill

The French government, trying to appease protesting students and satisfy right-wing supporters at the same time, deferred consideration of the most controversial proposals of its university bill Friday but refused to withdraw the bill altogether.

The announcement came in a brief, televised declaration from Minister of National Education Rene Monory after an emergency meeting earlier in the day between Premier Jacques Chirac and his top lieutenants. The leaders, all conservatives, were trying to assess and deal with the political damage caused the night before by the massive protest of more than 200,000 students that ended in the worst confrontation between students and police in France since the bloody rioting of 1968.

Student leaders said they would withhold any public reaction to the Monory announcement until today. In the past, however, the leaders have insisted they would accept nothing less than withdrawal of the complete bill. The students, however, seemed somewhat dispirited by the bloody clashes that ended their massive demonstration Thursday night and rather unsure about what to do next.

More Than 150 Injured

More than 150 people were injured in the violence. By late Friday, medical officials reported that four policemen and 12 demonstrators were still hospitalized, including a student who lost an eye and a student whose hand was blown off by a tear gas grenade that he had picked up. Police also said that they had detained 91 demonstrators.

Several thousand students resumed their protest marches Friday afternoon near the University of Paris building known as the Sorbonne in the Latin Quarter on the left bank of the Seine River. But there were no reported clashes with police. Much of the Latin Quarter resembled an occupied zone, with riot police patrolling every street corner with submachine guns clutched in their hands.

The Chirac government clearly did not want its supporters to feel that it was allowing street demonstrations to determine the course of legislation. At the same time, Monory, a businessman who never attended a university, wanted to convince students that he has their interests at heart.

“I understand very well your anguish over jobs and the future in general,” he said. “You should know that the government is doing everything to give you the best chance to succeed in life.”

But there was some ambiguity about his attempt to appease the student demands. Monory said that the government was withholding “for the moment” the three proposals of the bill that have provoked the most anger among students: provisions that would allow universities to set entry requirements for students, to issue their own degrees instead of the standard national diploma now awarded, and to raise matriculation fees. The students, who called these proposals elitist, obviously feared that they would endanger their own chances for earning degrees.

Promises to Consult

Before resubmitting these proposals, which he said had been misunderstood by public opinion, Monory said he would consult with all concerned, including the students and their leaders. Monory would not say when these proposals would go before the Parliament again but promised that students would find no basic changes in the university system at the start of the 1987-88 academic year.

Monory insisted that the government has to push the rest of the bill through the National Assembly during this session since, he said, it includes significant technical provisions that would clarify the legal status of several universities.

The education minister also said that he had been instructed by Chirac to take over the university issue directly. The controversial bill had been prepared by Minister of Higher Education Alain Devaquet, a 44-year-old former chemistry professor. By taking the bill away from him now and giving it to Monory, the Chirac government seemed to be repudiating, at least to some extent, the original author.