protests in France, russian propaganda, French schoolchildren, European youth

This is how pro-russian media outlets portray the protests by French schoolchildren. While the protests in France are indeed large-scale, and many minors are among those detained—with specific instances of excessive police force currently under investigation—some of these actions have involved unrest, arson, and attacks on law enforcement. Therefore, the claim that the mass arrests involve exclusively "innocent teenagers" distorts the reality of the situation.

It is particularly telling that the rights of teenagers are being championed by russians—who themselves use force to suppress any and all protests within their own country, imprisoning everyone from teenagers to the elderly.
In short, russia is once again exploiting isolated, unsavory incidents in Europe to fuel propaganda about a "decaying West" and "bloody regimes," all while concealing its own methods of suppressing dissent—methods that constitute a systemic policy of the kremlin.
Fake: French schoolchildren sang the Soviet song "Katyusha" during protests in Paris.
Since October 9, russian accounts on Instagram and TikTok have been circulating such claims. They present the video as proof of the popularity of russian culture among French youth. In reality, the French protesters are performing "La Grève Générale" ("The General Strike")—a protest song calling for a general strike—rather than the Soviet song "Katyusha."
While the song is sung to a similar melody, the lyrics have absolutely nothing to do with supporting russia. The song features the slogan "Nous, ce qu'on veut, c'est la grève générale"—"What we want is a general strike." It has long been a part of the local protest culture, though its exact origin remains unknown.
Notably, "La Grève Générale" was performed during the protests against Emmanuel Macron’s pension reform in March 2023. Furthermore, references to the use of this chant date back at least to 2019.Interestingly, the Soviet song "Katyusha" itself—composed by Matvey Blanter in 1938—has also been the subject of plagiarism allegations. Its melody has been compared to the "Niko-Polka" by Johann Strauss II, which was written as early as 1859.
Thus, russian propaganda is creating a false impression regarding support for russia among European youth.
Based on materials from Spravdi.ua
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