France students plan fresh protests as UN flags concern over violence
The Hindu – International
You are logged in
Loading…
You don’t have any Active Subscription.
Subscribed with another email? Logout and Login with that one.
Your active subscription(s)
Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials,
Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription
Products you’ve access to
Additional Subscription Benefits
Account Settings
Need help with your subscription?
Weather News October 9, 2026 e-Paper
The View From India
Looking at World Affairs from the Indian perspective.
First Day First Show
News and reviews from the world of cinema and streaming.
Today's Cache
Your download of the top 5 technology stories of the day.
Science For All
The weekly newsletter from science writers takes the jargon out of science and puts the fun in!
Data Point
Decoding the headlines with facts, figures, and numbers
THEdge
At the cutting edge of education and careers
Health Matters
Ramya Kannan writes to you on getting to good health, and staying there
Gender Agenda
Stories from beyond the binary.
The Hindu On Books
Books of the week, reviews, excerpts, new titles and features.
Weather News October 9, 2026 e-Paper
Published – October 09, 2026 05:11 pm IST – Paris, France
French Republican Security Corps (CRS – Compagnies Republicaines de Securite) police officers clash with protesters on October 8, 2026
| Photo Credit: AFP
Students in France were largely back in the classroom on Friday (October 9, 2026) following days of protests demanding better education, with the UN voicing “concern” over the sometimes violent clashes.
Tens of thousands have taken to the streets across France since students in late September began blocking entrances to high schools, which in turn saw squads of riot police deployed.
The students — most aged 15 to 18 — have complained of absent teachers, overloaded timetables, dilapidated classrooms and buildings that cannot cope with rising temperatures.
More than 6,800 people have been detained since the start of the demonstrations, of whom 86% are minors, the justice ministry said on Friday (October 9).
The United Nations said on Friday (October 9) it was watching the events “with concern” and urging people on all sides to remain peaceful.
“We are following with concern incidents related to the student protests and high school blockades in France, some of which have turned violent,” said Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Agency (UNHRA).
While the demonstrations have been largely peaceful, some protesters have started fires and vandalised bus shelters.
In response, police have used tear gas, batons and blast balls, leading to accusations from rights groups and the children of a disproportionate use of force.
Police have opened 18 internal investigations into allegations of misconduct.
A 15-year-old lost a hand on Monday (October 5) after police fired a stun grenade, and the government has suspended the use of the weapon.
On Thursday (October 8) evening in the capital Paris, police said they used tear gas in Bastille square to disperse some “high-risk profiles”.
In a bid to placate the anger, Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced late Thursday (October 8) that some 3,000 substitute teachers would be deployed in the coming days to replace absent staff at the 114 worst-affected high schools.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has also promised a plan to respond to the crisis by the end of October, while Economy Minister Roland Lescure said there was room to address demands for more school resources within the highly constrained 2027 budget.
ALSO WATCH Watch: France’s student protests explained: What caused the nationwide mass unrest?
In the current draft budget, education has the second largest increase in funding — after defence — with a boost of 1.4% to €90.9 billion.
Of the 3,700 high schools across France, called lycées, only 141 were closed on Friday (October 9), the Education Ministry reported.
Last Friday (October 2), some 800 schools had closed due to the protests.
But many students told AFP they were not relenting, with organisers calling for large-scale demonstrations next week.
“We’re saving our energy for next week,” said one 16-year-old student in Toulouse.
Alice, a high school student in Marseille, said the Education Minister’s announcements “are a first step but they’re not enough.”
Student union representative Marius Mesnil said “we’re being offered a few crumbs”, while calling for another wave of demonstrations.
Published – October 09, 2026 05:11 pm IST
France
/
protest
/
education
/
school
Copyright© 2026, THG PUBLISHING PVT LTD. or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.
BACK TO TOP
Terms & conditions | Institutional Subscriber
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.
Fonte: The Hindu – International
