French high school blockades, USA News (Paris): The return from the Toussaint school holidays opened under tension on Monday, November 2, with several high schools blockaded following calls from student and high school organizations seeking to continue a movement underway for six weeks, despite concessions announced by the government.
“The high schools will be blocked starting Monday,” Pierre Sourzat, president of the organization Les Lycéens!, asserted on Sunday. Minister of Education Édouard Geffray stated on France Inter that morning that authorities observed a few disrupted high schools, considering the situation fairly residual, with a few locations in Île-de-France, some in the North, and one or two in Toulouse.
In central Marseille, the entrance to the Montgrand high school was blocked on Monday morning by several garbage bins piled up in front of the gates. Meriem, a 16-year-old student standing on the bins, told AFP that the movement resumed because the responses provided so far are completely inadequate and insufficient. Out of approximately 75 schools in Marseille, student activists reported that around seven were blocked on Monday morning.
Blockades and Student Demands in Toulouse and Paris
In Toulouse, outside the Berthelot high school, students rebuilt blocking installations to prevent access to the facility, according to an AFP journalist. Anton, 17, stated that two government announcements destined to become outdated in a few months would not stop the movement, while Camille, 17, called for concrete measures rather than demagogy. Outside the Arènes high school, students gathered to restrict access, though a 14-year-old second-year student noted that while they support the movement, missing classes for a month has made the situation difficult.
Minister Édouard Geffray warned that the absolute priority is ensuring students can attend class, noting that hundreds of thousands of high school seniors taking the baccalaureate at the end of the year have missed classes for four to five weeks, placing their academic year at risk.
Government Measures and Inter-Union Demands
Last Monday, the Education Minister and the Minister of Higher Education announced a series of measures to end the movement that began in mid-September. Promises include the gradual replacement of Parcoursup by 2028, the cancellation of planned job cuts in national education, the creation of 500 additional positions, a cap of 28 students per second-year class, and 15,000 additional higher education spots.
According to Matignon, the Prime Minister requested that the Education Minister ensure responses are delivered to the 200 most struggling high schools identified on the consultation platform. Marius Mesnil, co-general secretary of the USL, indicated that while unsatisfactory, these represent real steps and early successes proving mobilization works, though he anticipates many blockades.
Coppélia Moreau of Interfac Île-de-France stated that anger continues unabated, with a new Parisian demonstration planned for Tuesday between the Pantheon and the Medef headquarters. School principals, such as Agnès Andersen and Carole Zerbib, expressed concern and apprehension regarding the return to school following weeks of disruptions.
According to a message from the National Directorate of Public Security, police will reinforce forces on Monday to secure schools and support the educational community following previous mobilization violence. An entourage of Emmanuel Macron stated that the time for returning to class has arrived, while acknowledging that such movements rarely end cleanly. The inter-union group comprising the USL, Unef, Fage, and the Student Union demands a 10 billion euro investment in education and higher education alongside the repeal of Parcoursup.
