FRENCH STUDENT PROTEST

Since September 2026, high school students across France have been protesting against overcrowded classrooms, teachers who are absent and never replaced, deteriorating buildings and a lack of school support staff. They are asking for the resources they need to learn, and for equal opportunities regardless of where they live or their family’s income.

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The movement has brought university students, teachers and parents into the streets alongside them. Serious injuries caused by police weapons, including teenagers losing a hand or their sight in one eye, have also sparked anger over how these young people are being treated.

This mobilisation of young people feels historic: students from different backgrounds coming together, reaching beyond their own schools and bringing teachers and parents into the movement. Their anger reflects a deeper crisis in France with strained public services, unequal opportunities and a growing distance between young people and those in power.