France: High school students resume protests by blocking school entrances

High school student protests resumed in France today, blocking school entrances in Paris, Marseille, Toulouse, Rennes, and Lyon, as students consider government pledges insufficient. Students besieged 41 high schools, and classes were disrupted in 25% of schools, according to the Interior Ministry.

High school student protests resumed in France today, Monday, November 2, 2026, with blockades of school entrances in several cities, as students deem government reform pledges insufficient. The protests included the capital Paris and the cities of Marseille, Toulouse, Rennes, and Lyon. According to the Interior Ministry, students besieged 41 high schools nationwide, and 25% of schools experienced class disruptions. In Marseille, 75 schools were affected, and sieges continued at 7 high schools. In Toulouse, students blocked access to Berthelot and Arènes high schools using garbage containers and barriers. In Brest, hundreds of youths gathered outside Kerichen and Harteloire high schools and prevented entry. French Education Minister Édouard Geffray told France Inter radio that classes were disrupted in some schools in the Île-de-France region (which includes Paris), in the Nord department, and in Toulouse due to the protests. Geffray had previously announced reducing class sizes in high schools, completing contracts with 920 contracted schools, opening over 500 additional positions, and pledged to change the Parcoursup platform for higher education applications by 2028, and stated the government would provide low-interest loans worth 4 billion euros until 2030.