On September 17, 2026, high school students in France from a school known as Lycée Saint-Exupéry started a monumental movement located in the Parisian suburb, Créteil, and since then, over 700 schools have closed throughout France.
During the initial stages of the protest, the students first blocked the entrance of the school, preventing the administrators from entering the building. Students then escalated the protest by setting off an explosive device in the teacher’s lounge a few days later.
With social media having significant power to spread this movement, the protest had the intended effect and soon enough, people all over the country were aware of these brave students and decided to follow their actions.
French students and teachers are enraged at the overcrowded classrooms, with the number of students spanning upward of 34 to 37 students per class! Students are also protesting about the unairconditioned classrooms, severe shortage of staff, and the decrepit quality of school equipment.
The purpose of these protests are to ensure a better education for high school students across France. HHS student Ava Joynt commented, “I think it’s important that they are fighting for their rights because everyone deserves an education. I think no matter who or where you are you should be able to learn and know about the surrounding world.”
Now with thousands of students and many adults supporting this movement, the protest campaign transitioned to a more violent approach, which led the police to match the student aggression with force. This led to thousands of injuries, with some minors cracking their jaws, and one student’s hand being blown off by an explosive.
The government made a public statement that the minors should begin taking a more peaceful approach and violence is not welcome. HHS student Ellie Flaherty believes, “If these students take a more peaceful approach, they can still get the same message across without using violence.”
With France in over 4 trillion dollars of debt, the highest debt the country has seen since 1946, it is understandable that the school and government organizations cannot magically fix all of the problems at once. Political leaders, including Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, have stated that they are aware about the concerns of the unfair conditions at the schools, and will ensure that change will be brought soon. Sébastien Lecornu also commented that violence is not promoted, although he gave his condolences to the injured, both to students and police officers.
These dedicated protesters are using their voice and the power of social media to cause change and improve the educational experience of thousands of students.
