French Pupils Resume School Blockades as Nationwide Strike Looms
High school students across France resumed blockades following the school holiday, ignoring government calls to halt protests that have triggered a major political crisis.
At a glance
- Dozens of high schools across France were blockaded on Monday by students demanding better school conditions and lower living costs.
- Education Minister Édouard Geffray warned that missed classes are putting final exams at risk for hundreds of thousands of students.
- Trade unions have called for a large-scale nationwide strike on Thursday involving rail workers, teachers, and private-sector employees.
On Monday, a new wave of student blockades affected numerous high schools nationwide while authorities prepared for a difficult week of demonstrations concerning living expenses and educational facilities.
Students returned after a two-week holiday and ignored calls from Emmanuel Macron to end the lycée blockades, which have run since September and sparked a major social crisis for his government in the capital region and beyond.
Protests Spread Across Cities
Students barricaded school entrances with wheelie bins in Paris and its surrounding areas, as well as cities like Lille, Toulouse, and Marseille, to demand more replacement teachers and building repairs. Police officers outside some locations removed the bins and made arrests.
Disagreement remained over the scale of the disruption. The education ministry reported that 41 high schools were blocked nationwide, representing about 1% of the total, while student unions claimed the figure reached 150.
Warnings and Demands
Education Minister Édouard Geffray stated that missing weeks of classes had put the school year at risk for final-year students preparing for their baccalauréat exams. He described the blockades as illegal and asserted that his priority was getting children back into classrooms.
Nathanaël Combary of the student union Renouveau Lycéen defended the actions, arguing that government concessions offered last week were inadequate and that protests remained the only way to secure a response.
Unrest and Upcoming Strikes
University student unions planned additional barricades for Tuesday, and trade unions called for a large-scale strike on Thursday. Rail workers, teachers, and private-sector employees are expected to join demonstrations across France to support the students and protest against low salaries and rising living costs.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced plans to meet with school student unions again next week, while headteachers urged a return to teaching and increased dialogue.
Analysis
The resumption of school blockades places renewed pressure on Emmanuel Macron's administration as it attempts to balance enforcement of public order with mounting social discontent. With trade unions preparing for a broader nationwide strike, the administration faces the dual challenge of averting further disruption to the academic calendar and managing a widening political crisis over public spending and school conditions.
What to watch: Trade unions and various sectors are planning a large-scale nationwide strike on Thursday.
Reporting from: The Guardian. Spotted an error? Tell us.
- France education protests
- Emmanuel Macron
- Édouard Geffray
- French school blockades
- student strikes
- World
- Politics