On Tuesday, October 6, the third major day of national high-school mobilization since September 17, marches took place across France. The Interior Ministry counted 266,000 demonstrators, the organizers 450,000. In Paris, the first clashes broke out in the march early in the afternoon (burning trash cans, tear gas, thrown stones, according to Le Figaro). There were also demonstrations in Marseille, Lyon and overseas, as well as in Belgium, where high-school protests turned violent in Liège and other cities. Teachers' unions, the CGT and the Confédération paysanne back the movement. In government, the Prime Minister defends law and order and targets La France insoumise, while the Education Minister promises an answer within eight days for high schools without replacement teachers and a gradual return to classes from Wednesday, with a “high-school time.” Students and high-schoolers presented ten emergency measures. The first defendants arrested on the sidelines of the blockades appeared in court in Paris and Bobigny.
The movement is changing scale: more people in the streets, union backing, and spread to Belgium and overseas territories. The executive has to deal with specific school demands and a political dimension at once, with officials trading barbs over the origin of the anger.
A high-schooler heading to class on Wednesday may find the school open, closed or partly open: the return is announced as “progressive,” with no common date. For parents, a set-aside period will be devoted to classroom discussion.
The number of demonstrators and the unions' backing show that the anger goes beyond a small core: the Prime Minister's workstreams came after the blockades began and do not yet answer the ten emergency measures.
The violence on the sidelines of the marches, which Le Figaro says is reaching a historic level, justifies firmness. Some political figures, notably on the left, are exploiting the movement to attack the government.
Compare the two counts without picking one: a gap between 266,000 and 450,000 is the rule at every big demonstration in France. What matters next is Wednesday's return to classes, the education unions' strike on Thursday and the answer the minister owes within eight days. If the number of blocked high schools does not fall by the end of the week, the government will have to go beyond the five workstreams.
Le Monde (count in pictures, “growing and drawing in many supporters,” ten emergency measures, lawmakers) · Le Figaro (clashes in Paris, street violence, defendants in Paris and Bobigny, Marseille) · France 24 (Lecornu and LFI, Parcoursup, Belgium, foreign far-right accounts) · franceinfo (Geffray, eight days, high-school time) · RFI · Les Échos · conflicting turnout figures
Between 266,000 and 450,000 march for high-school students. Lecornu defends law and order and targets La France insoumise
“Act III” of the movement brought marches to cities across France, with union backing and clashes in Paris. The government promises a gradual return to classes and a “corrected” Parcoursup.
Marches formed from late morning in the big cities. The Interior Ministry counted 266,000 demonstrators nationwide, the organizers 450,000, a range that Le Monde cites in its count in pictures. Clashes broke out in the Paris march early in the afternoon: burning trash cans, tear gas, thrown stones, according to Le Figaro. In Marseille, a “tense” march chanted “down with the police state.” In Lyon, a collective of parents rallied behind the young people. Education unions, the CGT and the Confédération paysanne are backing the movement, and Le Monde notes that the mobilization is “growing and drawing in many supporters.”
On the government side, Sébastien Lecornu defended public order and again targeted La France insoumise, accused of fanning the flames. Minister Édouard Geffray promises an answer “within eight days” for high schools without replacement teachers and a “progressive and gradual” return to classes from Wednesday, with a half-day set aside as “high-school time.” France 24 mentions a “corrected” Parcoursup. Students and high-schoolers presented “ten emergency measures.” At the Palais-Bourbon, lawmakers pressed the executive over what they call “the shame” of the blockades. The movement is spilling across the border: in Belgium, high-school protests turned violent in several cities, including Liège. The first defendants are being tried in Paris and Bobigny, on charges ranging from vandalism to violence against police officers.