8 April 2019: Gabon student protests

On 8 April 2019 protests began in Gabon against government proposals to reduce access to student grants. Many university students were entitled to grants of around 83,000 CFA francs per month, and 65% of its recipients were aged 20 or over. The government planned to set 19 as the maximum age, as well as require high marks in examinations to be eligible.High school and university students in the capital Libreville and elsewhere walked out of class and took to the streets, and there were some scuffles with police. One participant, Samantha, told a journalist that she found the "reform particularly unfair to the working classes". In response, the government shut down all schools in the country. Protests continued for three days until the government backtracked and agreed not to implement the changes.Gabon had accepted a loan from the International Monetary Fund in 2017, a condition of which was that the government had to reduce public spending.More information, sources and map: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/article/7987/gabon-student-protestsOur work is only possible because of support from you, our listeners on patreon. If you appreciate our work, please join us and access exclusive content and benefits at patreon.com/workingclasshistory.See all of our anniversaries each day, alongside sources and maps on the On This Day section of our Stories app: stories.workingclasshistory.com/date/todayBrowse all Stories by Date here on the Date index: https://stories.workingclasshistory.com/dateCheck out our Map of historical Stories: https://map.workingclasshistory.comCheck out books, posters, clothing and more in our online store, here: https://shop.workingclasshistory.comIf you enjoy this podcast, make sure to check out our flagship longform podcast, Working Class History