Thousands protest in France to demand funding for Catalan-medium schools

On Saturday, thousands of people rallied in Perpignan in support of La Bressola, a cultural organization that runs a network of Catalan-medium schools in Northern Catalonia.

The demonstrators demanded the continued operation of nine schools that face an ongoing funding crisis, as well as guaranteeing Catalan-language education.

Northern Catalonia is a region in southeastern France that was once officially part of Catalonia and still maintains strong cultural and linguistic ties with its southern neighbor.

Under the banner “Bressola alive, language alive: institutional support now!”, protesters marched through Perpignan, calling on French authorities to take action and find “structural solutions” to the funding crisis.

In January, the organization warned the Pyrénées-Orientales department and the Occitania region of a "liquidity shortfall" looming from May, which would prevent schools from paying salaries.

The president of La Bressola, Guillem Nivet, said during the protest that the more than €250,000 recently raised gives the organization some breathing room, but that the situation remains “urgent.”

€150,000 of the money raised comes from the Catalan government, and Catalan President Salvador Illa will increase the yearly subsidies the network receives from €650,000 to 800,000.

Nivet added that the goal of Saturday’s demonstration is to show French authorities that the school network is “very much alive” and that it is “important” to have education “in Catalan in Northern Catalonia.”

Saturday’s demonstration was supported by Catalan organizations such as the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and the Òmnium Cultural, as well as the Catalan political parties Junts, Esquerra Republicana, CUP, and Comuns.

Inflation and lack of funding

La Bressola's first schools was founded in 1976. Almost 50 years on, there are 1,100 students and 110 staff members spread across seven primary schools and two high schools. Some 750 families pay fees based on their income. 

In February, Nivet cited inflation and a lack of funding from the administration as the reasons for the organization's economic crisis.