Students in France were largely back in the classroom on Friday (October 9, 2026) following days of protests demanding better education, with the UN voicing “concern” over the sometimes violent clashes.
ALSO WATCH Watch: France’s student protests explained: What caused the nationwide mass unrest? Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has also promised a plan to respond to the crisis by the end of October, while Economy Minister Roland Lescure said there was room to address demands for more school resources within the highly constrained 2027 budget.
“We are following with concern incidents related to the student protests and high school blockades in France, some of which have turned violent,” said Shabia Mantoo, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Agency (UNHRA). “We’re saving our energy for next week,” said one 16-year-old student in Toulouse. Alice, a high school student in Marseille, said the Education Minister’s announcements “are a first step but they’re not enough. Student union representative Marius Mesnil said “we’re being offered a few crumbs”, while calling for another wave of demonstrations.
