To protest against shameful conditions in schools is entirely legitimate. The government’s response is not
As a secondary school pupil in 1994, I took part in protests against a reform that would have allowed French employers to pay young people below the minimum wage. Our campaign was successful, but if we had had to face the terrifying police response unleashed on student protesters in France over recent weeks, I would have stayed at home.
A 14-year-old boy, Eden, suffered a fractured jaw and had teeth knocked out after a police teargas grenade struck him in the face. Sixteen-year-old Maël lost the sight in one eye allegedly after being struck by a shot from an LBD, a form of rubber-bullet launcher. Evan, 15, had his hand blown off in an explosion involving a police stun grenade. And in Dunkirk, a police SUV is alleged to have driven repeatedly at groups of secondary school pupils, as an officer could be heard saying: “Come closer, we’ll smash their fucking faces in.” Accounts from children left terrified by brutal treatment in police custody describe traumatic experiences with severe psychological and physical consequences.
Rokhaya Diallo is a French journalist, film-maker, activist and Guardian Europe columnist
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At Marlborough college, troops were once summoned to dislodge rebellious pupils occupying an island in the school grounds. In the late 1700s, Winchester college experienced several rebellions.
Dozens of people detained after government building and two banks set on fire as tens of thousands march over education costs and corruption
Tens of thousands of students have taken to the streets of Tirana, the Albanian capital, setting alight a government building and two banks and hurling stones at police during a protest over rising education costs and corruption.
Police responded with water cannon and teargas to disperse protesters who started a fire at the ministry of education building, overturned bins and smashed the fronts of local businesses. A branch of Raiffeisen Bank near the education ministry also caught fire.
Say what you will about France’s high schools, they still produce world-class slogan writers. Here’s a brief selection spotted during three weeks of blockades and marches over chronic teacher shortages, overcrowded classes and crumbling buildings:
“Pas d’avenir, pas de calme” (No future, no calm). “Diplômés aujourd’hui, précaires demain” (Graduates today, insecure tomorrow). “Vous détruisez notre futur, on bloque votre présent” (You destroy our future, we block your present).
Police used tear gas and water cannons against demonstrators who tore down the barriers surrounding the Education Ministry.
On Wednesday, student protests against the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama entered a second day of violence, with riots and Molotov cocktails thrown at the Education Ministry.
Police used tear gas and water cannons against around 1,000 demonstrators who tore down the barriers surrounding the ministry building, according to footage broadcast live by local television station A2.
The demonstrators responded with stones and fireworks and set fire to a guard post, while police made several arrests. Dozens of hooded young people also smashed the windows of a bank in downtown Tirana and tried to pry up paving stones.
The unrest took place as students marched through Tirana to denounce deteriorating facilities, the cost of education, the shortage of financial aid and the lack of job opportunities after graduation. Universities in Elbasan and Shkodër suspended classes in solidarity with the protests.
On Tuesday, clashes lasted more than eight hours, resulting in 40 arrests and several injuries that required hospital treatment at the capital’s trauma hospital.
Groups of demonstrators looted financial offices and burned their furniture in the street. Hours later, that night, some protesters broke into Tirana City Hall.
Students have become the most active sector of the “Flamingos Revolution,” which began in May to protect a wetland in the south of the country from a luxury tourism project linked to Jared Kushner, son-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump.
The mobilization has since expanded into a movement against Prime Minister Edi Rama and corruption, although the protesters also oppose the conservative opposition Democratic Party.
“I welcome the presence of Greta Thunberg — the Swedish environmental activist and international figure in the fight against climate change — who has come to support the struggle of students at Paul-Eluard High School. Saint-Denis: capital of resistance and the convergence of struggles!” he posted on X.
“Solidarity, climate and social justice, convergence of struggles!” added the La France Insoumise politician, who has visited the school in his city on several occasions since the blockades began, according to the media outlet RTL.
On Tuesday, the demonstrations in Paris drew a surprise turnout of thousands of participants, who marched from two separate gatherings, one originating at Italy Square and the other at City Hall.
Both marches converged at Port-Royal station before ending near Les Invalides, in the heart of Paris and close to numerous government ministries, as well as the National Assembly, where debate on the 2027 budget was scheduled to begin.
Mayor Bally Bagayoko’s text reads, “Kudos to the mobilized youth. They are our pride!”
Bagayoko became a political and media icon of the student protests in France after stepping between police and demonstrators. He joined the demonstrations again to denounce the “unworthy” silence of the administration of President Emmanuel Macron.
“I am here to say that enough is enough when it comes to ignoring the voices of the oppressed. I am here to say that the silence with which the government and the president of the republic are trying to manage this situation is unworthy, and that is why there must be so many of us,” he said at the start of the two marches organized in the French capital.
The mayor of Saint-Denis, the most populous and stigmatized city in the Paris suburbs, said the students had his full support and that he would stand with them on the fifth day of strikes and demonstrations to “shout” that “the state must respond.”
“In particular, the president of the republic must respond, but so must the minister of higher education and the minister of national education,” said the mayor, a member of the left-wing party led by Jean-Luc Melenchon.
Asked about the prominence he has gained, including internationally, after images of him stepping between students and police on Oct. 6 went viral, Bagayoko said the “responsibility” he feels is that of a “citizen,” a “father” and an “activist.”
“It is the responsibility of an activist, and that is why I am here, precisely to apply pressure and ensure that people get answers,” the mayor said.
#France — Saint-Denis mayor Bally Bagayoko protects high school students from police violence.
Bally Bagayoko became mayor of Saint-Denis in March 2026 after winning 50.77% of the vote in the first round of municipal elections on March 15. He was formally elected by the municipal council on March 21, succeeding Socialist Mayor Mathieu Hanotin.
His victory was a significant breakthrough for LFI, giving the party control of one of the largest cities in the Paris region and strengthening its position ahead of France’s 2027 presidential election.
Bagayoko’s election also marked a milestone in the political representation of residents with immigrant backgrounds in French urban politics.
Born in Levallois-Perret in 1973 to a family of Malian origin, Bagayoko moved to Saint-Denis when he was 2 years old and grew up in a working-class housing estate.
A father of four, he studied urban and suburban studies and geopolitics and began working as a manager at Paris’ public transport operator, RATP, in 2000.
He also developed a longstanding involvement in local sports and community life, playing semiprofessional basketball and coaching a local club. His political career began in 2001, when he joined the team of Communist Mayor Patrick Braouezec.
📢 Près de 480 000 personnes ont manifesté mardi à travers la France pour réclamer davantage de moyens pour l’éducation, selon les syndicats
🚨 Des tensions avec les forces de l’ordre et des blocages d’établissements ont été signalés dans plusieurs villes, notamment à Paris et… pic.twitter.com/vyJ74p5bB0
The text reads, “According to unions, nearly 480,000 people demonstrated across France on Tuesday to demand more resources for education. Tensions with law enforcement and blockades of schools were reported in several cities, particularly in Paris and Lyon. The CGT has called for a new national day of strikes and protests on November 5, amidst persistent social tensions.”
He subsequently served as a deputy mayor responsible for communications, youth, sports and employment initiatives, as well as vice president of the Seine-Saint-Denis departmental council.
After an unsuccessful mayoral bid in 2020, when he finished third with around 18% of the vote, he returned to win the 2026 election.
As mayor, Bagayoko has positioned himself as a voice for working-class communities and the diverse population of Seine-Saint-Denis, a department north of Paris that faces persistent socioeconomic inequalities and ongoing debates over policing, public services and discrimination.
His political priorities include tackling exclusion, strengthening investment in disadvantaged neighborhoods and changing approaches to public security while maintaining a response to crime.
His election has also made him a prominent figure in France’s broader debate over racism and representation. After being targeted by racist insults and online abuse, he called for stronger action against discrimination.
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: EFE – Le Monde – Commune Nouvelle de Saint Denis
Demonstrations entered their fifth consecutive day, with about 200 high schools remaining blockaded.
On Tuesday morning, Greta Thunberg visited the Paul-Eluard High School in Saint-Denis, one of the main centers of student protests in France, before joining demonstrations scheduled for that afternoon in Paris.
The 23-year-old Swedish climate activist arrived at the school on the outskirts of Paris, where she said she was “extremely proud of French students” who are mobilizing “for their future” and refusing to give up in the face of a society that neglects them.
“Here we can see it: Schools are not receiving the investment they need. This sends young people the message that they are not a priority in their society. And what are we supposed to do? Give up? Of course not. And that is precisely what people here are doing. We are going to fight for our future.”
For the Swedish activist, the mobilization of young people “is a great source of inspiration,” “but it was also something to be expected.”
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has joined French students protesting on the outskirts of Paris about staff shortages and dilapidated schools.
In the capital, high school students are blockading streets as they demand concrete measures to improve conditions.
“When young people are placed in conditions that are incompatible with basic human rights because there is not enough investment in education, it is obvious that they are going to rebel,” Thunberg said. She added that politicians live “in a completely different reality” from that of younger generations.
Thunberg denounced what she described as the French police’s “extreme violence” against students demonstrating to demand “the absolute bare minimum.” “This says everything about the police and whom they really protect. Law enforcement is supposed to protect young people,” she insisted.
“We are glad that as many people as possible are joining us. This is not about labels or any particular person, but about how many people join the movement,” said Marius Mesnil, co-secretary of the Union Syndicale des Lyceens (USL), an organization that brings together high school students.
Les cortèges de lycéens et étudiants se regroupent place de l'Hôtel de Ville à Paris pic.twitter.com/hPgzZeSKa7
The text reads, “Columns of high school and university students are gathering in the square in front of Paris City Hall.”
In Paris, the main demonstration is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. local time at Italy Square and end at Place des Invalides, near Matignon, where the government headquarters and the Education Ministry are located.
On Tuesday, French students took to the streets for the fifth consecutive day of demonstrations. The protests come as about 200 high schools remain blockaded, according to Education Minister Edouard Geffray.
The student union has called on students to join the protest under the slogan “They don’t listen to us, so we’ll go to them.” Dubbed “Act V,” the demonstration follows four previous days of protests held on Sept. 29 and Oct. 1, 6 and 8.
Oxford University has told staff not to use common phrases such as "learn the ropes" or "find your feet" over fears they confuse foreign students, sparking concern at the new scheme of language policing.
School ceilings keep falling on students’ heads across the country in the last couple of days, where such incidents are being reported on a daily basis. Shortly before classes ended for the weekend, a large piece of plaster fell from the ceiling injuring a 14-year-old student. The boy at Thermi Gymnasium by Thessaloniki was hit […]
The report documents Israel’s systematic destruction of Gaza’s educational system and examines how this policy forms an integral part of Israel’s ongoing genocide. By July 2026, Israel had killed over 20,051 students, over 830 teachers & educational staff, and over 194 scholars...
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