Over 400 students detained in France: Why are students protesting?
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Black smoke billows from burning bins and bicycles as students carry out a blocking protest at the Cesar Baggio secondary school during a day of nationwide public sector strikes and demonstrations, in Lille, on September 29, 2026. Photograph: (AFP)
Hundreds of French students have been detained as protests spread over teacher shortages, crowded classrooms, poor infrastructure and long school days.
Police detained more than 400 students across France as protests over crowded classrooms, teacher shortages and lengthy school days have spread across the country. French Education Minister says protests have affected at least 400 out of France’s 3,700 high schools.
“Across the country, there were 440 arrests. We do not yet have the full figures, but I am told that two-thirds resulted in people being placed in police custody,” French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told broadcaster BFMTV late Tuesday.
"High schools are meant to be open and to share knowledge. They are not meant to be blockaded or to have trash cans set on fire," French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters in Madrid.
Why are teenagers protesting in France?
The teenagers started their protest in Paris last week, where students blockaded their school for several days peacefully. They were discontent over the absent teachers, inadequate school buildings and exhausting schedules, especially in the wake of the heatwave, which revealed the poor infrastructure. The high school students' union, Union Syndicale Lycéenne, called for coordinated blockades and latched onto broader public discontent. Protestors were seen in Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Rennes, Lille and Bordeaux. Confrontations have also been reported in Bordeaux, Rennes, Nantes, Lyon and Marseille. The movement has intersected with broader nationwide walkouts by civil servants, teachers, healthcare staff, and firefighters organised through major labour unions. Some demonstrations outside school gates also turned violent as protesters burned rubbish bins and hurled bottles at officers; at least 48 law enforcement officials were injured.
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Nunez condemned protesters who arrived with their faces covered and carrying projectiles, saying there was no justification for seeking confrontations with officers.
Vincent Latour, professor of British studies at Université Toulouse Jean Jaurès, told Al Jazeera the movement was expanding. “The number of secondary schools involved has doubled over the last couple of days,” he said.
The French government official blamed hard-left political figures for exploiting teenage anger, while student unions accuse the state of institutionalised repression. Union leaders are mobilising for further nationwide protest on October 6.
