Tens of thousands of people marched across France on 6 October demanding better learning conditions, as Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced a temporary suspension of high-school classes to allow discussions with pupils, AFP reported.
Teachers, parents and trade union members joined students protesting against teacher shortages, crowded timetables and deteriorating school buildings. The demonstrations followed days of school blockades and confrontations between some protesters and police.
“Gen Z has risen up and wants to be heard,” Lilia, a 19-year-old demonstrator in Paris, told AFP, saying she hoped President Emmanuel Macron would listen.
The interior ministry estimated that 86,000 people had joined demonstrations outside Paris earlier on 6 October, according to AFP. The CGT union put attendance at those demonstrations at 260,000. Neither figure represented a final national total including the capital’s march.
The parents’ federation FCPE called on families to demonstrate alongside pupils. In a statement updated on 6 October, it said the movement had begun on 21 September over inadequate resources in schools and that the students’ demands overlapped with those of parent representatives.
The federation also said it had urged the education minister to listen to pupils during a meeting of the Higher Education Council on 1 October.
The protests have drawn criticism of police tactics from rights organisations. Amnesty International France called on 2 October for independent, impartial investigations into allegations of excessive force and an immediate suspension of riot-control projectile launchers against high-school demonstrators.
The organisation said authorities should prioritise dialogue and de-escalation, particularly because many protesters were children.
Lecornu rejected suggestions that the government had instructed police to repress the movement. Speaking in the National Assembly on 6 October, he said there was “no room for tolerance of violence”, AFP reported.
AFP reported that some demonstrators had started fires, damaged bus shelters or clashed with riot police, while many protests remained peaceful. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said on 5 October that police had opened 10 internal investigations into allegations of brutality.
The government has also outlined measures intended to address pupils’ complaints. Parliamentary broadcaster LCP reported that Lecornu had instructed ministers to prioritise filling vacant teaching posts and covering prolonged absences, with an initial assessment due in mid-October.
Other measures cover school buildings, timetables, the Parcoursup university admissions system and ways for pupils to raise concerns. LCP reported that proposals for improvements to the 2027 admissions process were requested before the end of October.
Education authorities in Bordeaux said on 5 October that teaching would continue through digital platforms where schools were closed and that discussions with elected pupil representatives would continue.
In his subsequent announcement to parliament, Lecornu said high-school classes would be suspended from 7 to 9 October so school leaders could organise discussions with students, according to AFP.
