Education
French student protests over crumbling schools and teacher shortages draw nationwide support
October 14, 2026 at 03:30 PM · Updated 2d ago
3 reports · 1 in Arabic, 2 in English · over 5 hours
TGThe Guardian
France’s class action: inside the 16 October Guardian Weekly
(opens the publisher’s site)
TGThe Guardian
France’s students are angry about more than crumbling classrooms and missing teachers
(opens the publisher’s site)
AJAl Jazeera Arabic
جيل نشأ وسط الأزمات.. من طلاب فرنسا الغاضبون؟
(opens the publisher’s site)French students marched nationwide Tuesday in protest at crumbling schools, teacher shortages and fears about their economic future.
- Unions counted up to 480,000 marchers Tuesday, while the interior ministry put attendance at 161,500.
- More than 250 pupils, 100 staff and 750 police have been injured, and over 6,000 people, almost all minors, detained during three weeks of protest.
- The interior minister suspended use of stun grenades after injuries included a teen losing a hand and another losing the sight in one eye.
- Student unions say the protests will not end unless the authorities deliver concrete responses.
- The movement began with outrage over poor school conditions in a Paris banlieue before spreading nationwide.