Authorities say 400-plus people were detained as school protests turned violent across France.
Why it matters: The unrest is piling pressure on the French government over public education, youth anger and police handling of demonstrations. It also shows how school grievances over staffing and conditions have become a nationwide flashpoint.
- Protests erupted at high schools across France on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2026, over class sizes, staffing shortages and heat-related conditions.
- French authorities said 400 schools were affected, with 40 blockaded and 44 facing attempted blockades.
- AFP reported 40 arrests and 10 injured students or staff; The Guardian said Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported 440 detentions nationwide.
- The movement began in the Paris region on Sept. 21 at Saint-Exupéry high school in Créteil, where teaching positions were unfilled.
High school protests spread across France on Tuesday and escalated into clashes with police in multiple cities, according to AFP and The Guardian. Authorities said the wave disrupted schools nationwide and drew in students angry over overcrowded classes, missing teachers and staff, overloaded timetables, deteriorating buildings and stress tied to Parcoursup, the university admissions system.
AFP said the education ministry counted 400 affected schools, including 40 blockaded and 44 with attempted blockades. It also reported 40 arrests and 10 injured students or staff. The Guardian, citing Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, reported 440 people detained nationwide, with two-thirds ending up in police custody. Nuñez said, "We don’t have the final tally yet, but I’m told two-thirds led to police custody."
The protest wave began in the Paris region and then spread nationwide. Le Monde said it started on Sept. 21 at Saint-Exupéry high school in Créteil, where teaching positions were unfilled. The unrest unfolded alongside a broader day of public-sector protest, which helped amplify the visibility of the school blockades.
The students' union Union Syndicale Lycéenne said the complaints center on "lack of teachers and staff, dilapidated high school buildings, overloaded timetables and overcrowded classes" as well as "stress caused by Parcoursup."
By the numbers
- 440 - detentions nationwide, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez as cited by The Guardian.
- 400 - schools affected by protests or disruptions, according to AFP.
- 40 - schools blockaded, with 44 more facing attempted blockades, according to AFP.
Yes, but: The detention total is not fully settled: AFP reported 40 arrests, while The Guardian cited 440 detentions from the interior minister at a different point in the day.