Violent student protests over teacher shortages and overcrowding sweep France

A wave of violent student protests over chronic teacher shortages, classroom overcrowding, and dilapidated facilities has swept France, disrupting over 700 high schools. The unrest, fueled by planned education budget cuts, has escalated into severe clashes between riot police and teenagers. Authorities have arrested approximately 5,000 people, mostly minors, since September 28, 2026. Dozens of school staff and police officers have been injured, while rights groups accuse police of brutality, prompting multiple official investigations into excessive force.

Student protests over education conditions

• ▪The French draft 2027 budget presented on October 1, 2026, proposes a below-inflation 1.7 percent increase to the education budget, raising it to €65.53 billion.
• ▪High school students across France staged nationwide protests and blockades disrupting over 700 schools on October 2, 2026, over classroom conditions and education funding.

Teacher shortages in schools

• ▪French high school students are protesting chronic teacher shortages and the government's failure to replace absent teachers.
• ▪French Education Minister Édouard Geffray announced on October 2, 2026, that the government would launch an action plan to speed up the replacement of absent teachers.

Classroom overcrowding issues

• ▪Students at Lycée Paul Éluard in Saint-Denis reported severe infrastructure issues, including rodent infestations, lack of water in temporary toilets, and extreme classroom temperatures.
• ▪Protesting students reported classroom overcrowding with up to 35 students per class, insufficient chairs, and dilapidated school buildings.

Violent clashes with police

• ▪At least 65 school staff members, including 40 principals, and nearly 400 police officers have been injured since the start of the protests.
• ▪Riot police deployed tear gas, batons, and water cannons during violent clashes with student protesters in Paris, Strasbourg, Marseille, Rennes, and Nantes.
• ▪In La Ciotat, a high school teacher was sprayed with petrol and physically assaulted during the protests.

Mass arrests of protesters

• ▪French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin proposed holding parents financially liable for property damage caused by their children during the school protests.
• ▪French police arrested 1,747 people on October 2, 2026, bringing the total number of detentions since September 28, 2026, to approximately 5,000.

Police violence investigations

• ▪French authorities have opened multiple internal investigations into allegations of excessive police force and brutality against minor students during the protests.
• ▪A 16-year-old student in Tours suffered a severe eye injury after being struck by police-fired rubber bullets during clashes on September 30, 2026.

Debatable claims

• ▪The poor conditions in French schools justify the student blockades
• ▪Holding parents financially liable for school property damage is fair
• ▪French police used disproportionate force against minor student protesters
• ▪France should increase its education budget beyond the proposed 1.7 percent