French school protests to continue, after prime minister ignores demands
by https://euobserver.com/author/zuzanna-stawiska/ · EUobserverHigh school students and members of education unions fire red smoke flares at the end of a national day of protests over school conditions at Place de la Republique in Paris, France, 06 October 2026. A wave of protests sweeps across France against severe teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, a lack of resources, and poor learning conditions ahead of upcoming national budget decisions. (Source: EPA/MOHAMMED BADRA)
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By Zuzanna Stawiska,
Brussels
,
Two-weeks long protests by French high-school students demanding better education conditions risk getting more heated due to the French government’s lack of response.
For his part, French prime minister Sébastien Lecornu told parliament on Wednesday (7 October) the first proposals on education reform would be published at the end of the month.
He spoke after 250,000 demonstrators took to the streets across the country on Tuesday (6 October), according to interior ministry fiigures.
But the High School Student Union (Union Syndicaire Lycéenne, USL) said the number was as high as 450,000, including solidarity protests in most universities.
Pupils, joined by parents, teachers, and labour unions, want an end to teacher shortages and urgent renovations of run-down school buildings.
“Today, the balance of power is in our favour,” said Marius Mesnil, the USL’s co-general secretary, on Monday.
The secondary school teachers’ union (Syndicat National des Enseignements de Secondaire, SNES) also called Lecornu’s inaction “unacceptable.”
Some 715 police officers, 215 students and 85 school staff members have been injured during the protests, with 18 internal probes were launched to investigate police brutality since 21 September, when the movement first erupted, after being sparked by a teachers' protest.
A school in Nantes, in the west of the country, was set on fire, and protesters regularly light trash bins and make barricades in city centres.
The minister of interior has suspended the use of stun grenades after a 15-year-old’s hand was blown off in a violent confrontation with police on Monday.
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High school students and members of education unions fire red smoke flares at the end of a national day of protests over school conditions at Place de la Republique in Paris, France, 06 October 2026. A wave of protests sweeps across France against severe teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, a lack of resources, and poor learning conditions ahead of upcoming national budget decisions. (Source: EPA/MOHAMMED BADRA)
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Zuzanna Stawiska is a junior reporter covering European affairs. She also writes stories for the European Correspondent.
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