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- Protests that began over school conditions expanded to include concerns over living costs, public services - Authorities reported 1,435 arrests during Oct. 24 demonstrations, following 2,628 arrests on Oct. 17 - Government announces education concessions, but protesters press ahead with further demonstrations
By Seyma Erkul Dayanc
ISTANBUL (AA) - France is preparing for fresh nationwide protests Saturday after student demonstrations over school conditions broadened into a movement against rising living costs and strained public services.
The government has announced education concessions and tighter security measures following weeks of demonstrations, mass arrests and clashes.
Here is a timeline of how the protests spread, the government’s response and the developments leading to Saturday’s mobilization.
- September-Oct.1: School grievances fuel spreading protests
School blockades over poor learning conditions took place in France’s overseas territories of Mayotte and French Guiana before similar protests emerged on the mainland.
In mid-September, students in the Paris suburbs mobilized over unfilled teaching posts, overcrowded classes, deteriorating buildings and shortages of support staff.
Students described classes of up to 36 and months without teachers in core subjects. They also demanded changes to France’s university admissions platform.
By Sept. 29, around 180 schools were affected, with the Interior Ministry reporting 164 arrests.
On Oct. 1, protest activity reached 1,027 schools, including 222 blockades. A fire broke out at Nelson-Mandela High School in Nantes, while authorities recorded 1,949 arrests during unrest nationwide.
- Oct. 5-9: Injuries and arrests bring police scrutiny
A 15-year-old student lost a hand after a stun grenade exploded during a protest in Lens on Oct. 5. Authorities subsequently suspended the grenade model’s use at student demonstrations pending an investigation.
Justice Ministry figures showed 6,059 arrests between Sept. 28 and Oct. 5, with 5,060 people placed in police custody. Minors accounted for 87% of those detained.
On Oct. 6, the Interior Ministry estimated that 266,000 people demonstrated nationwide, including 56,000 in Paris. Student and university organizers put participation at 450,000. The ministry reported 488 arrests.
The movement broadened beyond education, with demonstrators also raising concerns about inequality, public spending and public services.
By Oct. 9, the number placed in custody since the movement began had exceeded 6,800, including 86% minors. Twenty-one people had been placed in pretrial detention.
- September-Oct.16: Separate protest calls converge
Alongside the student movement, social media campaigns called for nationwide demonstrations Oct. 17 over fuel prices and living costs.
The appeals echoed the Yellow Vest protests that began in 2018, with prominent figures from that movement endorsing the mobilization, although its leadership remained unclear.
Workers, farmers, pensioners and residents of disadvantaged neighborhoods were urged to gather at roundabouts, petrol stations and toll roads.
Student groups also planned to participate, bringing overlapping grievances into the streets while retaining distinct demands and organizing structures.
- Oct. 17-18: Nationwide marches overshadowed by violence
The Interior Ministry estimated turnout at demonstrations nationwide at 550,000, while the CGT trade union put it at 800,000.
Many demonstrations remained peaceful, but groups clashed with police, threw projectiles, set fires and looted businesses. Police used tear gas.
In Limoges, a fire severely damaged the historic city hall. In Marseille, demonstrators broke into the city hall, while Lyon’s tourist office was set on fire. Damage and clashes were also reported in Paris and other cities.
Authorities later reported 2,628 arrests, 1,144 injured security personnel and 1,522 businesses damaged or looted.
The arrests did not all result in charges or convictions. In the Paris region, prosecutors reported 855 arrests over the weekend, resulting in 557 people being placed in police custody. Authorities reported 101 arrests in Marseille and 199 in Lyon.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu blamed radical left-wing groups and criminals, while President Emmanuel Macron condemned the violence and called for prosecutions.
Jean-Luc Melenchon, the France Unbowed presidential candidate who joined the Paris march, called police command decisions at the protest “aberrant” and denied that his supporters engaged in looting or destruction.
Melenchon also urged the government to address young people’s anger.
Marine Le Pen of the far-right National Rally also blamed France Unbowed for fueling the violence. In a video address, she criticized Macron’s government as exhausted and disoriented, describing France as caught “between violence and powerlessness.” She called for calm and expressed support for the security forces.
- Oct. 19-23: Curfews and investigations
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez acknowledged failures to anticipate the scale of the protests and a loss of control in some areas.
Macron rejected his offer to resign and demanded an examination of intelligence and security failures. The government also prepared assistance for affected businesses.
Authorities introduced targeted curfews, including restrictions on minors, and announced 70,000 police officers and gendarmes for the scheduled Oct. 24 protests, up from 60,000 on Oct. 17.
On Oct. 23, Macron met student representatives to discuss school conditions and Parcoursup, the national web platform in France that manages pre-registration and admissions for first-year undergraduate and higher education programs.
- Oct. 24-26: Protests continue, with further injuries and arrests
The Interior Ministry counted 410,000 demonstrators on Oct. 24, including 110,000 in Paris. The CGT estimated around 800,000 nationwide and 250,000 in the capital.
Authorities recorded 289 demonstrations, compared with 441 a week earlier.
Most marches passed without major incidents, but clashes broke out toward their end. Police used tear gas and water cannons in Paris, Nantes and Lille after some demonstrators threw projectiles. Further looting and damage were also reported.
In Paris, police reported 65 arrests and more than 3,000 identity checks.
In Lyon, where demonstrations were banned in parts of the city, authorities reported 36 arrests and 22 people injured, including 18 members of the security forces. In Nantes, six people were arrested in connection with looting, according to the Loire-Atlantique prefecture.
On Oct. 26, Nunez announced 1,435 arrests and said 267 security personnel and 150 demonstrators had been injured in that weekend’s demonstrations.
An Interior Ministry assessment recorded 75 fire-related interventions, down from 2,025 the previous Saturday.
Three protesters were seriously injured in Toulouse, Clermont-Ferrand and Reims, according to authorities. An investigation was opened into the Toulouse incident.
- Oct. 26-28: Education concessions fail to end mobilization
On Oct. 26, the government announced measures addressing concerns raised during the protests.
These include replacing Parcoursup in 2028, introducing changes for the 2027 admissions cycle and creating 15,000 additional higher education places. First-year high school classes would be capped at 28 students, starting in half of the most disadvantaged schools in 2027 and extending to all public high schools in 2028.
The government also pledged to cancel 836 planned secondary education job cuts and add 500 teaching posts.
Other commitments included €4 billion ($4.47 billion) in loans for school renovations, €1 billion in campus investment and inflation-linked increases in student grants from 2027.
Student representatives welcomed some announcements but said questions remained over university capacity and the replacement admissions system.
The group Les Lycéens! maintained its call for further action.
- Oct. 29-30: Fresh demonstrations keep pressure on government
Further demonstrations were called for Oct. 31, while trade unions announced a nationwide day of action on Nov. 5.
Nunez announced another deployment of 70,000 police officers and gendarmes for Oct. 31, warning of a high risk of violence around Halloween.
Authorities planned restrictions on gatherings in city centers where they considered public-order risks too great, with some demonstrations directed toward outlying areas.
With France approaching its 2027 presidential election, the unrest has intensified debate over education, living costs, public services and policing.
Şeyma Erkul Dayanç
