France’s student protests explode into nationwide unrest with nearly 500 arrests

People gather around the statue at Place de la République in Paris October 6, 2026, at the end of a nationwide demonstration led by high school students, joined by teachers and unions, demanding better learning conditions after days of protests marked by sporadic violence. — AFP pic

First Published: Wednesday, 07 Oct 2026 9:52 AM MYT

PARIS, Oct 7 — Mass protests over decrepit conditions at France’s high schools descended into sporadic violence yesterday, leading to nearly 500 arrests and prompting President Emmanuel Macron to call an emergency meeting.

The protests started in late September with students blocking entrances to hundreds of high schools for 15- to 17-year-olds over complaints of dilapidated facilities and teacher shortages.

US President Donald Trump weighed in yesterday to blame the unrest in France on “mass migration” and Islam, as he pushed his global right-wing narrative ahead of tough midterm elections at home.

In France, parents, teachers and union workers joined the high school students’ movement in the capital Paris and other cities.

The interior ministry said 256,000 people protested nationwide, while union organisers put the figure at 450,000.

Macron was expected to meet top officials late yesterday, including Interior Minister Laurent Nunez and Education Minister Edouard Geffray, in response to the unrest, a government source said.

At least 488 people were arrested and 43 members of the security forces were wounded yesterday, the interior ministry announced.

‘Wants to be heard’

Rights groups, unions and the students have accused authorities of using disproportionate force.

A teenager lost a hand on Monday after police fired a stun grenade.

A 14-year-old student in northwest Paris was hit in the face with a tear gas grenade at such close range that he lost several teeth. A policeman was charged yesterday over that incident.

“Gen Z has risen up and wants to be heard,” 19-year-old Lilia told AFP at a massive march in central Paris, adding she hoped Macron would listen.

At Paris’s Place de la Republique, protesters gathered beneath banners demanding better-funded schools, including one reading “Neglected schools, sacrificed youth”.

An AFP reporter described the Paris march as largely peaceful, but tensions flared near its endpoint in the east of the capital as police fired tear gas and some demonstrators threw rocks at a line of officers carrying riot shields.

Police officials said that “300 hostile individuals” attempted to confront officers.

Yanis, 16, said students felt ignored until the demonstrations turned violent. “It makes us feel like everything gets solved through violence,” he said.

The unrest comes ahead of a 2027 election to choose Macron’s successor, with far-right candidate Marine Le Pen riding high in the polls despite a graft conviction.

While many protests have been peaceful, some demonstrators have started fires, destroyed bus shelters or clashed with riot police.

Police have responded with batons, tear gas and riot-control rounds.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu condemned violence linked to the protests, telling lawmakers the violence would not be tolerated.

“Burning down a high school does not improve the state of high school buildings,” he told parliament, rejecting accusations that the government had ordered “police repression” against protesters.

He also said that high schools across the country would be closed for a half-day between today and Friday, to permit “internal democracy” in the establishments.

The government says 215 students and 715 police officers have been injured since the start of the movement.

The government has sought to address the students’ grievances, while accusing the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party of encouraging the movement.

Veteran LFI presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon has strongly supported the protests, while calling for non-violent methods.

Thousands of arrests 

Thomas, a 17-year-old student from the Paris suburb of Val-de-Marne, said some of the classrooms at his school were short of desks and chairs while the bathrooms lacked doors, toilet paper and soap.

“We just want better conditions for studying,” he told AFP.

Teachers and parents joined demonstrations across France.

In Lyon, parents organised to support the youngsters, while teacher Rindala Younes said she wanted to help students “convey their message peacefully”.

“The high school students’ demands are legitimate,” she said.

In neighbouring Belgium, students have started a similar protest movement in the city of Liege. Yesterday, several of them were arrested after what police said were clashes and vandalism on the sidelines of a demonstration.

Amnesty International on Monday said the French authorities should “put an end to the disproportionate police repression seen in recent days during student protests”.

Nunez said police had opened 10 internal investigations into allegations of misconduct.

Since the start of the movement, 24 schools have been burned or ransacked, according to the education ministry.

More than 6,500 people, mostly minors, have been arrested. The prime minister’s office said 85 teaching staff have also been injured. — AFP