‘Gen Z has risen up’: Tens of thousands mass for tense France school protests
Massive student protests have erupted across France, with demonstrators demanding better school conditions and protesting against perceived police brutality. The unrest occurs against a backdrop of political tension ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
Why it matters
The protests highlight growing social dissatisfaction among youth and potential political instability in a major European nation.
A quarter of a million demonstrators took to the streets across France on Tuesday as unions and teachers joined high school students demanding better learning conditions in protests that later descended into sporadic clashes with security forces.
Students have blocked the entrances to hundreds of high schools for 15- to 17-year-olds since late September, complaining of missing teachers, overloaded timetables, dilapidated classrooms and buildings that cannot cope with rising temperatures.
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, while another student reportedly lost several teeth last week after being struck by a police launcher round.
At the Place de la Republique in Paris, protesters gathered beneath banners demanding better-funded schools, including one reading “Neglected schools, sacrificed youth”.
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