A violent classroom revolt is becoming France’s next big crisis
Students gather during a demonstration near Lycée Deodat high school in Toulouse, south-western France, on Oct. 1, 2026.
Ed Jones | Afp | Getty Images
Hundreds of schools were closed across France on Friday, after a swathe of student protests turned violent.
More than 400 schools were shut in the aftermath of the rallies, which saw thousands of students mobilize to voice their discontent with run-down school buildings, long days and teacher shortages.
French high school days can stretch from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., depending on timetables.
The country’s Interior Ministry reportedly said 1,027 of France’s roughly 3,700 lycées, or high schools, were affected Thursday, including 222 that were blockaded.
Students carry out a blocking protest at the Cesar Baggio secondary school in Lille on September 29, 2026.
Sameer Al-doumy | Afp | Getty Images
The rallies turned increasingly violent this week, with some protesters clashing with police and setting fire to schools and vehicles. Dozens of educational staff, hundreds of police officers and more than 100 pupils are said to have been injured since the protests began, according to the French press.
Protests were held across the country as the movement, which began in Paris, spread nationwide.
Anti-riot police officers face protesting students carrying out blockading action outside the secondary school Le Corbusier, in Aubervilliers, northern Paris on October 1, 2026.
Lou Benoist | Afp | Getty Images
Although Education Minister Édouard Geffray said in an interview that the movement was “legitimate at the outset,” France’s Interior Ministry said Thursday the unrest “no longer has anything to do with the legitimate expression of high-school students’ demands.”
The ministry described the situation as having the characteristics of “urban violence,” according to French newspaper Le Monde.
Geffray is scheduled to meet with teachers’ unions, student representatives and parents’ groups on Friday.
Budget cuts
The unrest is adding to a major political headache for the government, which is about to start tough budget negotiations against a backdrop of division and economic turmoil.
Jules Ferry Middle and High School in the 9th arrondissement of Paris students block the entrance and chant anti-government slogans during a protest on Oct.1, 2026 in Paris, France.
Antoine Gyori | Corbis News | Getty Images
Officials presented a draft budget on Thursday, and the government is now tasked with convincing lawmakers in the politically fractured National Assembly to agree to the plans.
Following a crisis meeting, the Prime Minister’s Office said intelligence services viewed the movement as a “maneuver organized by LFI and its ultra-left proxies,” according to Reuters.
Some members of the left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI) party have publicly backed the student protests.
CNBC reached out to the LFI party and the Prime Minister’s Office for comment.
Finance Minister Roland Lescure told reporters on Thursday that the 2027 budget was…
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