Student Protests Continue Across France

Synopsis

Student protests continued across France on Monday, with classes fully or partially suspended at between 400 and 500 high schools amid demonstrations over education conditions and a rise in related incidents.

The Underlying Issue

The protests, which began in the Paris region in mid-September 2026, intensified last week as students demanded more resources, better-maintained school buildings, smaller classes, and measures to address staff shortages.

In the Île-de-France region surrounding Paris, regional authorities expected more than 160 high schools to close on Monday. Several incidents in Paris accompanied the mobilisation.

Why the Shutdown?

The ministry, which had reported that 564 schools were affected at around midday on Friday last week, said the drop was due to "sustained dialogue with high school students".

The shutdown comes after France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu sent a list of suggestions to several of his top ministers aimed at solving the stand-off.

In his letter, Lecornu called for the priority handling of long-term absences and unfilled positions. He also proposed using artificial intelligence to create school timetables.

The review outlining the costs of the measures and when they can be implemented will be presented to the government before the end of the month, said Lecornu.

He added, "This dialogue must lead to visible changes in secondary schools. At the same time, we will not give in to violence. We will support pupils and staff who have been attacked, as well as injured police officers and gendarmes."

He called a meeting for Tuesday, October 6, 2026, with regional presidents to discuss overhauling the country's often-dilapidated school buildings.

The Violence in Schools

At Vauquelin High School in the capital, authorities reported three fires near the entrance on Monday morning, October 5, 2026.

The school's headteacher alerted police after the first fire was reported at around 7.50 am local time (0550GMT), prompting firefighters to intervene and students and staff to be confined inside the building.

Around 100 students were reportedly evacuated from the school following the incident. Meanwhile, students began blocking Turgot High School in Paris early Monday, using bins, fences and signs to obstruct access.

The Interior Ministry and Education Ministry have reported a significant rise in arrests and injuries since the mobilisation began. Authorities said around 5,000 people had been arrested since the start of the movement, about 85% of them minors in the Ile-de-France region. Twenty-four schools have been “burned or ransacked,” while 78 staff members of the Education Ministry and around 600 police officers and gendarmes have been injured, according to the education minister.

The minister also said 170 students had been injured since the protests began. A 15-year-old high school student was seriously injured in the hand on Monday after picking up a police grenade during a student protest in the northern French city of Lens, according to local media reports.

In a separate incident linked to the student protests, a 17-year-old student was taken into police custody in Aix-en-Provence on Monday over the alleged throwing of a stone that struck a passerby in the eye last Thursday, October 1, 2026.

The Precautions Taken

Bruno Retailleau, president of the Republicans party, called for changes to France's juvenile justice system, proposing lowering the age of criminal responsibility to 15.

The French Human Rights League accused law enforcement of a broader "drift away from the rule of law" and failing to respect legal standards during police interventions against protesting students.

Five investigations have been opened by France’s General Inspectorate of the National Police into incidents linked to the mobilisation. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is seeking to ease the crisis by putting forward five proposals and has called for decisions to be reached before the end of October 2026.