Paris (Reuters) November 8 -- Tension is growing on French universities, which are being occupied by students opposed to the "law on the autonomy of universities."

The police intervened at the universities of Nantes and Paris-Tolbiac on Wednesday night to evacuate the occupied universities, both the police and student union sources said.

The University of Rennes 2, which has been occupied since Wednesday 7 November, will remain closed until Monday following incidents which prevented the holding of a secret ballot on Thursday Nov. 8 morning. The ballot was to decide on the future course of the movement, the university public relations service said.

On the night of Tuesday November 6, the police intervened in Paris to end the occupation of the Sorbonne, which was just getting underway.

The minister of higher education, Valarie Pacresse spoke against these occupations, which in her opinion compromise the success of students, in particular the poorest students.

"An occupation is really a hindrance to the students working well. I believe that occupations should be limited (...) the vandalism is not in the interest of the students, no movement can say that to me," Valarie Pacresse said on LCI television.

The [right-wing] Student Confederation, which only represents a minority of students, while demanding more aid in particular for student housing, spoke against the occupations which supposedly were often decided by small groups of students calling themselves general assemblies.

Strikes and occupations must not be the deed of a minority fraction. Such decisions must be taken following a referendum which results in a majority decision," the [right-wing] union said in a communique.

Are the left and far left behind the movement?

About ten out of 85 universities were occupied on Wednesday Nov. 7 according to the ministry, far more according to the student unions, which put forward the figure of 40 universities affected by the movement.

Valarie Pacresse says that the left and the far left are behind the movement, which, she noted, coincides with the strike movement planned next week in the transport and energy industries. The strikes are against the planned reform of the special retirement plans.

Pacresse announces that she was going to discuss possible measures to catch up lost class time with the presidents of the universities.

On the evening of Wednesday Nov. 7 Pacresse received in the ministry building the representatives of the UNEF student union, which is close to the [sell-out] socialist party and on Thursday Nov 8 and Friday Nov 9 she is to receive the other student unions. After the leader of UNEF, Bruno Julliard, called on Wednesday evening to "broaden the movement. " "Victories for the students are possible, they can be won if we continue the mobilization," he said.


First launched by collectives judged [by the authorities? by the journalist?] to be close to far left parties or to the French communist party, which demand the revocation of the law, the occupation movements are now backed by the UNEF student union, which is close to the Socialist Party, which is calling for the law to be modified.

The Collective Against Autonomy for the Universities (CCAU) is calling for demonstrations on Thursday Nov. 8, in particular in Paris;

In Rennes the president of Rennes 2 Marc Gontard announced that he was closing the university.

"A group of 20 to 30 very violent individuals prevented the teaching and non-teaching staff from opening the building where the ballot was to be held," Tharase Ollivier, public relations manager for the university, told Reuters. Students favoring and opposing the occupation of the university agreed to delay the vote to Monday.

A demonstration in the streets of Rennes was planned for Thursday afternoon.