France: Students protest for better study conditions; call for a youth forum ahead of elections in May

Student protests in France have blocked university campuses and taken to the streets in several cities, notably demanding better study conditions and more funding for education and higher education. France Universités, an association of French university presidents, is calling for a national youth forum.

On 06/10/2026, 57 university campuses were blocked by student protests. The movement started with high schoolers, who have been protesting with similar revendications since 25/09. They were joined by higher education students on 01/10, blocking 30 universities and 640 high schools all together.

“These protests are an expression of young people’s anger at the contempt they face. Over nearly a decade of antisocial and discriminatory policies, (French President) Emmanuel Macron and his successive governments have worsened our living and learning conditions,” Union Étudiante, a student union, said.

On 06/10, the same union reported over 450,000 youth protesting in France and 100,000 in Paris, while the government counted 256,000 in total. The movement was weaker on 07/10, but a new…