French students and teachers marched in Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and Bordeaux on Saturday, demanding better classrooms and a halt to the 4,000 teaching posts cut in the 2026 budget. The riot‑filled streets saw 2,400 people arrested for looting, arson and disorder.
The protests erupted over overcrowded classrooms, with the average high‑school class holding 30 students—well above the 17‑25 range typical in developed nations—and a slew of damaged furniture and broken equipment documented in the Paris suburb of Seine‑Saint‑Denis.
Beyond schools, the demonstrators voiced anger at soaring living costs: fuel prices jumped 36% in September, while national inflation hit 3.1%, the highest since January 2024. Poverty surged to 15.4% in 2024, the worst level since 1996.
Maria Pallas, 57, told CNN that the “cost of living, unemployment, and a widening wealth gap” make the future bleak for young jobseekers. Older generations echo the same fear, linking the unrest to the ongoing Iran‑US conflict that has tightened global oil supplies.
President Emmanuel Macron, in a speech, blamed the West Asian war for the price spike and announced a four‑nation tour of the region, starting in Kuwait, to secure energy routes and reopen the Strait of Hormuz.
Facing mounting pressure, the government will convene a full‑parliamentary session next week to discuss emergency education funding and fuel price caps, with a vote scheduled for Tuesday.