France faced a fourth consecutive day of student protests on Thursday as high school and university students demonstrated against teacher shortages, poor school facilities, and overcrowded classrooms. Protests spread across the country, with a major rally planned in Paris, where students dragged bins into streets and chanted slogans as early as 6:30 a.m., according to a Euronews journalist on the ground.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu addressed the nation on Wednesday, promising a government response by the end of October and denying that police had been ordered to confront students. Education Minister Édouard Geffray announced an "emergency plan" to address teacher absences within hours or days. The protests have at times turned violent, with clashes between demonstrators and riot police resulting in serious injuries, including one teenager who lost a hand.
The government has accused the far-left opposition party La France Insoumise of fueling the unrest, though sociologist Laelia Benoit told *Le Monde* that dismissing the protests as political manipulation risks ignoring documented issues. A recent PISA report found that 87% of French students and school principals said their school’s capacity to teach was affected by a lack of teachers. Students have presented 10 concrete demands, supported by both high school and university protesters, following weeks of escalating tensions.
Students have blocked access to high schools since late September, with some setting fire to bins and erecting blockades. One student outside Paris’ Lycée Henri-IV said the movement aimed to show solidarity with suburban schools, which they claimed faced immediate police crackdowns. Another student from a technological school in the 5th arrondissement reported having no teacher in a subject for six months, with no substitute provided, ahead of critical exams.
