By Abayomi Azikiwe
Editor, Pan-African News Wire
Monday October 12, 2026
Political Review
High school students in France have engaged in strikes and mass demonstrations as funding cuts and lay-offs have created intolerable conditions in the education sector.
On October 12, the government shutdown schools across the country in an effort to curb discontent among the youth, many of whom have suffered injuries from the police crackdown on unrest.
One student suffered serious hand injuries when he picked up a teargas grenade that soon exploded. Many people within civil society have criticized the harsh measures utilized by the French police to disperse the demonstrations.
Media reports on the situation in France emphasized the tumultuous character of the struggle being waged by high school students and their supporters. Rather than making decisions which would improve the educational outcomes in France, the government has responded with school closures and the intensification of police repression.
Hundreds of thousands of high school students reached the breaking point having to accept staff shortages and dilapidated buildings. There are videos posted on social media of rats running through the corridors of schools, broken toilets, mold and holes in the walls of buildings.
It was not only the 500,000 students who marched around the country on October 6, many of their teachers joined in with them. The class sizes of 35 pupils are making effective instruction almost impossible.
Since early October, approximately 7,000 people have been arrested, most of whom some 85% are children. These figures were provided by the French Interior Ministry.
These demonstrations are taking place ahead of the planned 2027 national elections. The French political landscape is sharply divided between the far-right National Rally party and the left-wing France Unbowed (LFI) which is headed by Jean-Luc Melenchon.
Two-term President Emmanuel Macron cannot run again. Many believe that the upcoming elections will represent a turning-point in French politics.
Over the last eight years there have been periodic protests in the European state. The Yellow Jackets campaigns were centered around the costs of transportation.
Several years later during 2023, millions engaged in several general strikes over proposed changes in the national pension system. The government policy was centered around raising the retirement age from 62 to 64. There was mass support for the demonstrations and strikes. However, the administration in France imposed the new policy absent a vote within the national assembly.
During that same year, 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk, who was of North African descent, was shot dead by the French police. Days of unrest followed bringing international attention to the problems of police brutality within France.
The following year in 2024, mass protests and strikes arose just days prior to the Olympic games held in Paris. Garbage was piled up in the streets while there were severe disruptions in the public transportation system.
Political Impact of the Student Strikes and Demonstrations
According to opinion polls in France regarding the most recent unrest among the youth, the majority of people are in support of the students. The far-right National Rally has condemned the student demonstrations calling for the parents of students to be charged for the property damage done during the unrest.
In response to the strikes and demonstrations, French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said that by the end of October 3,000 substitute teachers will be brought into the system. Nonetheless, despite this promise of hiring extra teachers, students have continued their protest actions.
One press source has noted:
“Protesting teenagers at French upper secondary schools, known as lycees, have complained about high teacher absenteeism, school days they say are too long and buildings in poor condition. They have also called attention to inadequate cooling during hot summer days. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu urged local authorities on Sunday to prioritize filling gaps caused by long-term absences and unfilled posts. He also called a meeting for Tuesday with regional presidents to discuss renovating school buildings. The closures affect teaching and leave families and students facing uncertainty over when lessons can resume. The education minister said the shutdowns were mainly a precaution, while officials weighed school safety against plans for a gradual return to classes. Geffray said the number of schools closed on Monday would be similar to Friday’s, even as authorities planned a partial return to lessons. Organizers, however, called for protests to continue on Tuesday.” (https://journalarta.com/en/
After the school closures on October 12, the following day more demonstrations were planned to keep the issue before the public. The LFI leader Jean-Luc Melenchon has been present alongside the students in the mass demonstrations.
The French political divide has hampered the capacity of the present government to resolve the crisis. Conditions within the school system are so dire that the students are demanding immediate actions which will have long-term implications for youth.
As it relates to the reforms announced by the French government, Le Monde noted in a report that:
“The student organizations behind the protests are yet to be convinced, however. The Union of High School students described the initial announcements last week as ‘crumbs.’ They are maintaining their demand for an extra €10 million to be invested in the country’s high schools. France’s 10,000 medical students are meanwhile beginning to express concern at the effect any continued school blockades could have on exams that start on Monday, which help determine their eventual speciality. They do not want to see the students’ action disrupt such a crucial stage of their education.” (https://www.lemonde.fr/en/
Education, Public Sector Cuts and the Capitalist Crisis
The problems which have come to the fore are part and parcel of a broader crisis within the French economy. The labor and student unrest over the last several years represents the failing capitalist system in Europe.
There is additional pressure being placed on European economies of those states which are members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The administration of President Donald Trump in the United States has demanded that the United Kingdom and other European continental states raise the level of military expenditures to 5% of their national budgets.
During the beginning of the unprovoked war by the US and Israel, Trump demanded that other NATO states enter directly in the bombing of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Although the UK does allow Pentagon warplanes to utilize and refuel at their bases, they have refrained from joining the efforts to destroy Iran and occupy the Strait of Hormuz.
The war with Iran has become a major factor in the global economic downturn. Fuel prices have skyrocketed, prompting inflation in areas of food, fertilizer and other essential commodities.
In the German newspaper Deutsche Welle, it says of the status of the French education system:
“The latest scores for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development’s (OECD) program for international student assessment (Pisa), which were published in September, illustrate the scale of the problems in the education system. According to the results, more than one in three 15-year-olds in France no longer achieve a basic level of competence in mathematics, for example. Macron’s reform of the upper secondary education system has also been criticized. The abolition of academic streaming in favor of specialist subjects selected by the individual was meant to give pupils greater freedom of choice. However, the large number of possible subject combinations make it difficult to timetable lessons. Students complain that they have too many free periods and longer school days. The problems also extend to universities. A lecturer at a Paris university described a seminar attended by 50 students — so many that they have to fetch chairs from other rooms or sit on the floor. So far, she said, the university administration had done nothing about it.” (https://www.dw.com/en/
The demonstrations in France are reflective of a broader European social discontent. In Belgium there was the beginning of a national walkout on October 9 when air flights were cancelled due to work stoppages. (https://www.reuters.com/
Both workers and students held mass demonstrations, some of which turned violent. On October 12 the national strike impacted transportation and other areas within the public sector.
Belgian right-wing Prime Minister Bart De Wever admitted that the failure of the government to reach agreement on a national budget has created unease and anger throughout broad segments of the population. De Wever noted that large-scale budget cuts were inevitable which will undoubtedly impact workers and youth inside the country.
All of these events in France and Belgium are a direct result of the international situation prompted by the economic and military policies of the US. Facing a midterm election as the approval rating of the Trump administration has reached unprecedented lows, the White House is striking out against its perceived political enemies. Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar had her Washington, D.C. residence raided by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on October 12 under an obvious politically motivated attempt to deflect attention away from the deteriorating social conditions in the US.
Many believe that the situation in Western Europe and the US will only worsen in the coming weeks and months. The outcomes of these struggles will have a tremendous impact on the status of working people and the nationally oppressed in North America and Europe.
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Distributed By: THE PAN-AFRICAN RESEARCH AND DOCUMENTATION PROJECT–
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