French High School Student Protests Subside as Classes Resume After Autumn Break

High school students in France resumed classes on Monday morning following a two-week break for All Saints' Day, amid indications that the protest movement roiling the sector for more than a month is beginning to wane.

Drop in Institutional Blockades

According to data from the Ministry of National Education, only 41 high schools were recorded as closed on Monday morning, representing just 1% of approximately 3,700 educational institutions across the country. This relative calm comes at a time when unions and youth organizations have called for continued protests and participation in a day of mobilization scheduled for Tuesday, November 3.

On-the-Ground Action Outside Lycée Voltaire

Despite the waning momentum, some students maintained their actions on the ground. In Paris's 11th arrondissement, around ten students gathered outside Lycée Voltaire starting at 6:00 a.m., placing trash bins and barriers in front of the doors to blockade the school.

Sacha, a student at the high school, detailed the scene, explaining that the protesters initially sought to block all access points, but police asked them to permit middle school students and preparatory class pupils to enter, leading them to maintain only temporary obstacles in front of one entrance.

By 9:00 a.m., the gathering expanded to around one hundred students, joined by several teachers on the sidewalk across from the school in what was described as a calm atmosphere, holding a banner demanding financial support for public education.