French Students Escalate Protests Over School Inequality and Police Violence

France is facing its largest student protest movement in decades as teenagers across the country blockade schools over deteriorating facilities, teacher shortages and educational inequality. The demonstrations, which began last month in a Paris suburb, have spread nationwide, prompting thousands of arrests, allegations of police brutality and renewed debate over government funding for education.

Hundreds of schools have been blocked or closed, while thousands of people, many of them minors, have been taken into police custody, according to reporting by CNN and The Guardian. Student unions have called for another day of demonstrations on October 17 as pupils demand improvements to learning conditions and greater government accountability.

At Lycée Blaise-Cendrars in Sevran, a low-income suburb northeast of Paris, students describe overcrowded classrooms, damaged buildings, inadequate equipment and persistent gaps in teaching staff. The school, which has more than 1,000 pupils, has previously drawn attention to its facilities, including through a widely shared video produced by students and teachers in 2024.

Mohammed, 17, a final-year student at the school, described classrooms where students sometimes lack basic furniture.

"There aren’t enough chairs or desks to go round, so some students have to stand up," Mohammed said.

He also described overcrowding and extreme classroom temperatures during recent heatwaves, which he said made learning difficult.

"Classes can be so packed you can’t interact with the teacher. In this year’s heatwaves, it felt like 40 degrees in overcrowded classrooms with no shade or curtains. It was so hot my brain couldn’t function." Mohammed said.

Teacher absences have created additional difficulties for students preparing for France's baccalaureate examinations. Mohammed said some classes had gone months without replacement teachers.

"Some of us have to go months without teachers when absent staff aren’t replaced," Mohammed said.

Students have also documented broken chairs, damaged walls and ceilings, mold, leaking roofs, faulty lighting and inadequate restroom facilities. They reported shortages of projectors and science equipment, while some students lack access to school nurses and disability support services.

Mohammed said the demonstrations were intended to secure basic improvements rather than special treatment.

"We’re not asking for luxury, just the basics to learn in decent conditions," Mohammed said.

He also described confrontations with police during demonstrations outside the school.

"And yet police on horseback charged us when we were gathered to protest outside our school, firing teargas at us and making arrests. It’s so dangerous to be charged by a horse, it could kill you. I just ran, I was trying to help my classmates." Mohammed said.

Ilian, 17, another student at the school, said economic inequality already places students from poorer families at a disadvantage compared with their wealthier peers.

"We’re starting at an unfair advantage because our parents aren’t as rich as others, they can’t buy us books, they can’t take us to films," Ilian said.

Despite concerns about missed lessons during the demonstrations, Ilian said students believed continuing their protests was necessary to secure improvements.

"We’re missing school during these protests, we risk falling behind in an exam year, we’re desperate to get back into class to study, but the conditions we’re facing are so bad we can’t stop until the government promises action." Ilian said.

Ilian also criticized the way police treated demonstrators.

"The police look down on us as if we’re animals", Ilian said.

He described officers' language toward young protesters as cruel and told local politicians that some teenagers alleged police had directed racial insults at them during demonstrations.

"They talk to us with such cruelty." Ilian said.

Stéphane Troussel, the Socialist head of the Seine-Saint-Denis departmental council, met students during the protests and criticized police conduct. He called for restrictions on a type of rubber-bullet launcher after authorities suspended the use of stun grenades following injuries.

"It’s intolerable that policing is causing part of the difficulties," Troussel said.

Stéphane Blanchet, the mayor of Sevran, backed the students' demands and said residents of the town, which has 52,000 people and an above-average poverty rate, felt neglected by the state.

"relegated" was the word Blanchet used to describe how many residents felt about their position in relation to the state.

France's education ministry has promised 3,000 teachers to address urgent staffing shortages. However, teachers' unions have questioned whether the commitment will be sufficient and called for longer-term planning and additional funding.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu acknowledged that students had legitimate concerns, according to The Guardian. CNN reported that he also announced five government initiatives intended to address students' needs.

In an address to the nation, Lecornu said parliament would debate a budget proposal the following month that included 64 billion euros, or $71.6 billion, in education funding. The proposed amount represented a slight increase from the previous year.

President Emmanuel Macron separately called for "empathy" from police officers confronting student demonstrators after a major day of protests on Tuesday, CNN reported. The response followed criticism of police tactics and reports of serious injuries among young protesters.

The demonstrations have also attracted support from parents, teachers and other public-sector workers. Some parents have joined marches and encouraged others to participate in the planned October 17 mobilization.

The unrest has been particularly intense in Seine-Saint-Denis, one of mainland France's poorest departments. The area has a young population, a high birthrate and lower average incomes than the capital, while schools have struggled with teacher turnover and persistent resource shortages.

The latest protests have revived longstanding concerns about inequality and mistrust between young people and police in Paris's northern suburbs. In 2005, Seine-Saint-Denis was the starting point for weeks of unrest across French housing estates after two boys died while hiding from police in an electrical substation.

Although authorities have announced additional education funding and staffing measures, students at Lycée Blaise-Cendrars have voted to continue their protests and take their demands to local officials and education representatives next week.