‘2026 is the new 1789’: French students take school anger to Paris streets
People take part in a demonstration as part of a nationwide day of actions called by high-school students, joined by unions and teachers, who have been demanding better learning conditions, in Bayonne, France, on Tuesday. | AFP-JIJI
By Erin Flanagan
AFP-Jiji
Oct 7, 2026
Paris – As drums pounded and chants rang out, 16-year-old Yanis, flanked by a knot of friends, rattled off why he had joined tens of thousands surging through the streets of Paris on Tuesday to demand better learning conditions.
“There are no toilets, no toilet paper, everything is broken,” he said, his schoolmates nodding and chiming in.
“We go to class from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with a one-hour break.”
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