On the barricades with wheelie bins and shopping trolleys: Paris students rage at politicians and police
Student protests in France against education funding and police conduct have escalated, resulting in numerous injuries and clashes. Demonstrators are using makeshift barricades to protest what they describe as institutionalized state violence.
Why it matters
The unrest reflects growing social friction in France and raises significant concerns regarding the use of force by law enforcement against minors.
Protests in Lyon on Tuesday./Getty Images Protests in Lyon on Tuesday./Getty Images France On the barricades with wheelie bins and shopping trolleys: Paris students rage at politicians and police Unprecedented protests that began in low-income banlieue are turning ugly, with investigations under way into police brutality
Angelique Chrisafis in Paris Tue 6 Oct 2026 07.28 EDT Last modified on Tue 6 Oct 2026 07.37 EDT Share Prefer the Guardian on Google B efore dawn on Tuesday outside the Lycée Sophie-Germain in central Paris , hundreds of teenagers dragged wheelie bins, metal barriers and shopping trolleys to build a barricade outside the front door of their secondary school.
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