High school students across France have blocked access to hundreds of schools while public sector employees launched strikes in opposition to the government’s planned spending reductions. The unrest comes just two days before the administration is scheduled to release its draft 2027 budget and seven months ahead of the presidential vote, reflecting growing dissatisfaction with President Emmanuel Macron and his centre-right government.
The Ministry of National Education reported that more than 330 high schools—nearly one in ten nationwide—were impacted by the demonstrations. The protests, which have intensified in recent days, focus on issues such as severe teacher shortages and overcrowded classrooms. Tuesday’s events resulted in 40 arrests and left 10 students and staff members injured.
Violent scenes erupted in several cities. In Lille, masked pupils gathered outside the Lycee Cesar Baggio, where they set bins on fire and hurled bottles and paving stones at police, who responded with tear gas. In Nantes, demonstrators piled dozens of bins to barricade the entrance to the Lycee Gabriel Guist’hau. Meanwhile, at the Arago school in Paris, a tense standoff occurred between roughly 30 students and law enforcement. Reports of similar clashes were also confirmed in Marseille, Bordeaux, and Lyon.
In a gesture of solidarity, teachers at one high school in the Paris suburbs formed a protective line around protesting students to shield them from police intervention.
Public sector workers also joined the widespread demonstrations. Professional firefighters, citing dangerous resource gaps exposed by massive wildfires this summer, participated in marches across multiple cities. According to the Education Ministry, approximately 11 percent of teachers and school staff joined the strike, a significant portion given that French educators earn less on average than many of their European counterparts.
Participation among other civil servants remained below 10 percent, with even lower turnout observed among hospital workers, as the loss of a day’s wages deterred some employees. Civil aviation authorities issued warnings regarding potential flight disruptions at certain airports.
Sophie Binet, leader of the CGT union, issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the government, demanding the withdrawal of proposed cuts. She condemned what she described as a fourth consecutive annual freeze on base pay for state employees, which is part of a broader 2-billion-euro ($2.2bn) savings initiative and a wider 54-billion-euro ($61bn) austerity program.
With the election only seven months away, this austerity plan feels like political suicide for Macron’s party. Bold move by the unions.
Thirty-three hundred blocked schools is massive, but are violent tactics like burning bins helping their cause or just alienating voters?
I didn’t realize firefighters were involved too. Their strike over resource gaps highlights how deep these systemic issues run in France.
This is exactly what I feared. The government is choosing optics over the reality of underfunded schools and exhausted services.