France is preparing for new student protests

Student protests in France "What we got are just crumbs" As of: October 30, 2026 • 2:44 a.m

France is preparing for a restless weekend: once again, students across the country want to protest against education policy. Because the government's initial concessions are not enough for them.

The authorities will do everything to ensure that the upcoming Halloween night does not turn into a horror. At the beginning of the week, President Macron warned: “It’s a risk.” - Next Saturday will be risky again. Because the students want to take to the streets again.

They did welcome Education Minister Geffray's five-point plan. On Tuesday he promised to reduce class sizes, create 500 additional teaching positions, provide discounted loans worth four billion euros for the renovation of school buildings and reform the controversial system for allocating university places. But the bottom line is that the announcements are not enough for the students.

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“What we got are just crumbs compared to what we asked for,” complained student representative Clement Vieillot. "We want 250,000 new study places and they have only approved 15,000 new places." His colleague Marius Mesnil from the Union Syndicale Lycéenne student union added: "That's not enough: We are demanding 250,000 new study places so that no more applicants are sorted out."

President Macron warned against maximalist demands. In an interview with YouTuber Hugo Décrypte, he explained that he had created 500,000 new study places in the last ten years and emphasized: "In our country, studying is free." Student insurance is now free and scholarships have been increased.

“We have to put an end to the idea that there is a universal right to study at university. That is “wrong and not desirable,” said Macron.

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But for many students the pressure is too great. They denounce the competition when allocating university places and want to ensure that in the last two school years all grades from the main subjects no longer count for the Abitur. They also criticize the long school days and the disadvantages faced by students from the banlieues, i.e. the outskirts of large cities, and the overseas departments.

The government admitted that it had reacted too late, but now hopes that face-to-face teaching can take place again after the autumn break. “This is crucial, especially for new students,” said Higher Education Minister Philippe Batiste to France Info broadcaster.

"Almost half of them drop out after a year and now they have only had three to four weeks of classes since starting their studies at the beginning of September." In this way, France risks “in a figurative sense a mass death at the university.” Batiste emphasized that face-to-face teaching does not mean that the demonstrators have to give up their demands.

They don't plan to do that either. On the contrary: On Saturday they want to take to the streets again together with the yellow vests and unions.

This topic in the program: tagesschau.de | Student protests: demonstrations continue despite initial concessions | Oct 30, 2026 | 02:41 am