Students Block Schools Across France as Big Strike Approaches

Students across France blocked the entrances to dozens of schools and universities on Tuesday to push the government to improve education. Local authorities confirmed that at least 48 high schools were blocked, while the USL student union claimed the number was much higher — around 500 schools. Thousands of students also marched through Paris and other French cities. The protests came just days before a major nationwide strike planned for November 5.

Students first started protesting in September, and they came back with fresh energy after a two-week autumn break. They are asking the government to fix run-down school buildings, reduce the number of students in each classroom, and create more spots for students at universities. Many feel that the government has not listened to them, and they want to keep the pressure on. One student in Paris, who did not want to give their name, explained why they felt they had no other choice: 'We don't even have the right to vote, we can't do anything, so this is our only way of expressing ourselves.'

France's Education Minister Édouard Geffray spoke out against the blockades. He said that students needed to focus on studying and preparing for exams. 'Preventing them from entering their school deprives them of a fundamental right: the right to an education,' he wrote on the social media platform X. He also said that some school staff members had been treated roughly during the protests.

In the city of Rennes, about 30 students blocked one of France's largest high schools, called Brequigny High School. Tensions rose quickly between students and school staff. When a staff member told the students they were not the majority, one student fired back: 'If we're doing this, it's because everything we've tried before hasn't worked.' In the southern city of Toulouse, students carried signs with messages like 'Angry, not far right.'

The school protests are part of a bigger movement that has spread across France. Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets over the past few weekends to protest rising prices and poor public services. The unrest has even inspired students in other countries like Italy and Spain, where the French word 'blocus,' meaning blockade, became a popular hashtag online.

Last week, the French government announced some steps to address students' concerns. One change involves replacing the university admissions website, which students say is unfair and unclear. However, students say these steps do not go nearly far enough, and they are calling for €10 billion in new investment in education. France's struggling economy makes it harder for the government to spend that much money.

At the University of Lille, around 40 students used bicycles and trash bins to block their campus, forcing classes to be cancelled. 'There's a massive national mobilisation under way,' said Gauthier Capiez, a third-year student studying political science. He said he hoped the protests would lead to real changes in how students are admitted to universities. As the November 5 strike draws closer, it remains to be seen whether the government and students can find common ground.

On Tuesday, police arrested three minors — people under the age of 18 — in connection with a fire at a school in the western city of Nantes. The fire happened in October, during the protests. Officials also reported that more than 50 university campuses had been blocked across the country. The student movement shows no signs of slowing down as the nationwide strike approaches.