Riot Police Clash With French Protesters On Biggest Day Of Nationwide Student Demonstrations
High-school blockades and protests are taking place across France as students and unions demand that the cash-strapped government fix understaffed and dilapidated schools.
High-school blockades and protests are taking place across France as students and unions demand that the cash-strapped government fix understaffed and dilapidated schools.
Tuesday's nationwide protests come after a fortnight of demonstrations which began in the deprived suburbs of Paris before spreading across the country, sometimes turning violent
The government has been responding by deploying riot police, leading to mass arrests and clashes resulting in injuries to protesters, police officers and school staff.
The government has been responding by deploying riot police, leading to mass arrests and clashes resulting in injuries to protesters, police officers and school staff.
Police have fired tear gas at protesters blockading French high schools as students, teachers and parents took to the streets.
The unrest has piled more pressure on a government seeking to narrow a ballooning budget deficit six months before an election to replace President Emmanuel Macron
French borrowing costs have surged in recent days to levels not seen since the early 2000s
French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen outlined her plans to cut government spending, seeking to establish her fiscal credibility
A sign that says "the youth expresses itself, the police represses" in Paris, October 6, 2026. REUTERS/Juliette Jabkhiro
One teacher from the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis told me this movement truly came from the youth and especially from young people from the suburbs.
A sign that says "we want to be listened to, not have our eyes gouged out" in Paris, October 6, 2026. REUTERS/Juliette Jabkhiro
Despite clashes in other cities, for now the Paris protest remains largely peaceful.
The students' chants have been aimed at the far right and at the government, especially Education Minister Édouard Geffray.
One chant was "du fric pour les services publics”, which means "money for public services".
It is the biggest day of action in a wave of demonstrations against understaffed and dilapidated classrooms.
In Marseille and Nantes, protesters held up signs marked with "the state has killed national education" and other messages, in largely peaceful rallies. In Toulouse, parents linked arms at the front of a march through the city.
But in Strasbourg, Lyon and Rennes, the demonstrations at times turned violent, with police firing tear gas and protesters lighting fires in the streets and hurling projectiles.
The High School Students Union said more than half of France's high schools were blockaded or would close for the day. Some local education authorities have tried to move classes online.
"We want more money for the national educational system so that high schools are renovated," said Roberta, a recent high-school graduate at a protest outside Paris' prestigious Henri IV school.
Finding spare cash to implement educational reforms will be difficult.
French borrowing costs have surged in recent days to levels not seen since the early 2000s
French far-right presidential candidate Marine Le Pen outlined her plans to cut government spending, seeking to establish her fiscal credibility
A sign that says "the youth expresses itself, the police represses" in Paris, October 6, 2026. REUTERS/Juliette Jabkhiro
One teacher from the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis told me this movement truly came from the youth and especially from young people from the suburbs.
A sign that says "we want to be listened to, not have our eyes gouged out" in Paris, October 6, 2026. REUTERS/Juliette Jabkhiro
Despite clashes in other cities, for now the Paris protest remains largely peaceful.
The students' chants have been aimed at the far right and at the government, especially Education Minister Édouard Geffray.
One chant was "du fric pour les services publics”, which means "money for public services".
It is the biggest day of action in a wave of demonstrations against understaffed and dilapidated classrooms.
In Marseille and Nantes, protesters held up signs marked with "the state has killed national education" and other messages, in largely peaceful rallies. In Toulouse, parents linked arms at the front of a march through the city.
But in Strasbourg, Lyon and Rennes, the demonstrations at times turned violent, with police firing tear gas and protesters lighting fires in the streets and hurling projectiles.
The High School Students Union said more than half of France's high schools were blockaded or would close for the day. Some local education authorities have tried to move classes online.
"We want more money for the national educational system so that high schools are renovated," said Roberta, a recent high-school graduate at a protest outside Paris' prestigious Henri IV school.
Finding spare cash to implement educational reforms will be difficult.
The government is under pressure to try to narrow a ballooning budget deficit as investor concerns about France's growing debt pile, weak growth and reluctance to rein in spending push bond yields higher. The yield on France's 10-year bonds briefly hit a 24-year high of over 5% last week.
Le Pen, who is leading the presidential race ahead of next spring's election, set out plans to slash public spending if elected earlier, seeking to establish her fiscal credibility as the bond market crisis deepens.
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