Classrooms across France became the latest front line in a widening protest movement as students returned from the autumn break and moved to blockade dozens of secondary schools, keeping up pressure on the government over education reforms while trade unions ready a nationwide strike later this week.
Back after a two-week holiday yesterday, groups of students restarted their campaign, demanding that authorities renovate run-down school buildings, cut class sizes and expand the number of university places.
Officials said 48 of France’s 3,700 high schools were blocked, citing disruptions in cities including Paris, Rennes, Toulouse and Lyon.
Those numbers were immediately disputed by the Union syndicale lyceenne (USL), which said 500 establishments were blocked.
The student union also accused authorities of using what it described as heavy-handed tactics, reporting “young people pinned against walls and riot police units deployed” outside schools.
“Our impression is that the objective is to suppress the movement and prevent Thursday’s mobilisation,” a union representative said.
Students plan to mount a fresh day of blockades on Thursday, the same day trade unions have called for a nationwide strike.
The Lycee Toulouse-Lautrec in Toulouse was blocked by students
In Rennes, a northwestern city, around 30 students blocked entrances to Brequigny High School, one of the country’s biggest secondary schools.
The situation quickly grew tense as students confronted a member of the school administration.
“You are not the majority,” the staff member protested.
“If we’re doing this, it’s because everything we’ve tried before hasn’t worked,” a student replied.
The school blockades have fed into a broader national movement against rising prices and strained public services. That wave of protests has brought hundreds of thousands of people into the streets over the past three weekends and culminated in some of the worst unrest France has seen in years on 17 October.
The student campaign has also spilled beyond France’s borders, energising young activists in Belgium, Italy and Spain, where the French term “blocus” (blockade) has gained traction as a popular hashtag.
Last week the French government announced measures meant to answer some student demands, including changes to a university admissions process that has been criticised as opaque. Student leaders, however, argue the steps fall short.
Yesterday, authorities said 42 secondary schools — about 1% of the national total — were blocked. Student unions put that figure at 169.
Authorities also said about 15% of higher education institutions were affected yesterday.
