Students rise up in France

Students gather during a blockade at the Lycée Jules Ferry in Paris, France -- image via

Various Sources

Since late September 2026, France has experienced widespread student protests driven by poor school conditions, staff shortages, and educational stress, resulting in thousands of arrests and clashes with police during brutal police crackdowns.

The protests began on September 21 2026 at Lycée Antoine-de-Saint-Exupéry in Créteil and quickly spread across France. Students cited multiple grievances, including:

• Overcrowded classrooms, sometimes with 32–36 pupils per class.

• Shortage of teachers and staff, impacting both secondary and higher education.

• Poor school infrastructure, with run-down buildings, deficient sanitation, and insufficient classroom furniture.

• Stress linked to the Parcoursup university application platform.

• Long timetables and overall poor study conditions, exacerbated by heatwaves reaching 35°C

These protests coincided with broader public-sector strikes over government budget plans.

By early October, the Interior Ministry reported nearly 2,000 arrests and more than 400 high schools closed due to the protests.

University students also joined the blockades by 1 October, with around 30 universities affected.

The Union Syndicale Lycéenne (USL) and other student unions have taken a role in organizing the protests, highlighting four core demands:

• More teachers and staff

• Improved school facilities

• Smaller classes and manageable timetables

• Less stress from university application platforms

The protests have also sparked a political clash ahead of the 2027 presidential election. Jean-Luc Mélenchon of the leftist La France Insoumise has criticized police actions and defended students’ rights to protest, while Prime Minister Lecornu has predictably backed law enforcement despite many reports of police brutality.

In one horrifying example, a ​15-year-old student protesting had ‌his hand ⁠blown ‌off on Monday (October 5)⁠ in the northern town ​of Lens ‌after he picked up a ‌police stun ​grenade that had been fired at protestors.

The French Communist Party has also backed the students.

The Communist Youth of Greece (KNE) released a statement in solidarity with the French students also noting that student protests are soon coming to Greece:

We salute and express our solidarity with the thousands of school students - boys and girls - who have flooded the streets of France, demanding “Education for all” – the key slogan of their protests.

Classes of 35 pupils, schools without heating, thousands of teacher vacancies, class barriers and discrimination paint the true picture of the French education system, which is regarded as a “model” by the Greek government and the convenient opposition. Young people are reacting massively to the cuts in education spending, given that the French government, as in the rest of the EU, is spending billions on military equipment, at the expense of wages, healthcare and education.

We condemn the brutal state repression, which has resulted in thousands of arrested and hurt protesters, physical violence and the use of tear gas. A placard held by a student protester was particularly telling: “Can we have a discussion without you firing tear gas at us?”. This is the sham “democracy” across the EU, which wields the whip against anyone who raises their head and stands up for their rights.

In France, Greece and all over the world, anyone who thinks they can stop young people from fighting, demanding their rights and dreaming of a better world is deluding themselves.

On Thursday 8 October, it will be the school students' turn in Greece, as they organise the Pan-Hellenic Day of Action in schools across the country!