Dozens of high schools across France were blockaded on Monday as students resumed demonstrations over educational conditions and the high cost of living, setting the stage for a volatile week of national protests. The unrest follows the end of a two-week school holiday, with students’ unions defying calls from President Emmanuel Macron to end the blockades that have persisted since September, forming one of the most significant social crises of his administration.
From early morning, pupils in Paris and surrounding suburbs, alongside cities including Lille, Toulouse, and Marseille, barricaded school entrances using wheelie bins to demand increased funding, additional replacement teachers, and critical building repairs. Police officers stationed outside several institutions moved to clear the barricades, dragging bins away and executing arrests. In Paris, law enforcement intervened to prevent students from blockading the Lycée Charlemagne, while demonstrations at the Montebello international high school in Lille saw protesters adding bins to street fires.
The student-led action is expanding beyond secondary institutions. University student unions scheduled further barricades at academic faculties, while broader trade unions called for a nationwide strike. Rail workers, teachers, and private-sector employees are expected to join demonstrations across French cities to back the students’ demands and protest against low salaries and rising living costs.
Nathanaël Combary, a representative from the school students’ union Renouveau Lycéen who also belongs to Macron’s centrist Renaissance party, argued that students must maintain their battle of strength against the government. He dismissed recent government concessions—which included capping certain class sizes and reviewing the university admissions platform—as inadequate. Speaking publicly, Combary defended the tactics, stating that demonstrations remain the only viable method to secure an official response. He described the situation as democratically regrettable but necessary to gain attention.
The escalating disruption has alarmed education officials. Education Minister Édouard Geffray warned that consecutive weeks without instruction are jeopardizing the academic year for students facing final examinations. Noting that hundreds of thousands of pupils preparing for the baccalauréat have missed four to five weeks of classes when factoring in holidays, Geffray stated that the lost instruction time threatens their ability to complete required coursework. He characterized the blockades as illegal and emphasized that restoring classroom access is the government’s primary objective.
Tensions have also flared over police tactics during the demonstrations. In Montpellier, Socialist senator Hussein Bourgi accused authorities of misconduct and provocation following the arrest of a 53-year-old school nurse. Video footage showed the staff member speaking to police near a school barricade before being forced face-down, handcuffed, and taken into custody. The local prefect defended the police action, asserting that the woman had insulted officers and resisted arrest.
Headteachers have voiced mounting frustration over the disruption. Nicolas Bonnet of the SNPDEN-UNSA headteachers’ union expressed sympathy with students’ grievances regarding inadequate school resources, but urged a return to educational priorities and dialogue. Bonnet reiterated that coursework, final examinations, and university applications are increasingly at risk.
Despite the ongoing standoff, political channels remain open. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced plans to hold further meetings with school student unions in the coming week.
