Paris Students March as High-School Blockades Enter Second Day

France's high-school blockade movement entered its second day on November 3. In Paris, student organisations called a demonstration at 2 p.m. from Place du Panthéon in the 5th arrondissement, heading to the headquarters of the Medef employers' federation on avenue Bosquet, even though the Paris police prefecture has banned the route; students have petitioned the administrative court. According to BFMTV, citing internal police documents, the prefecture expects between 15,000 and 30,000 demonstrators.

Official and student counts differ tenfold

The Education Ministry said 48 of France's 3,700 high schools were blocked on November 3, while the Union syndicale lycéenne (USL) put the figure at up to 500. On November 2, the first day back after the autumn break, the ministry recorded 41 blocked schools at 9:30 a.m., against 169 claimed by student unions. Blockades were also reported in Marseille, Toulouse (where 12 of the city's 13 high schools were disrupted on Monday), Rennes and Lyon.

Demands and Thursday's nationwide strike

Students are calling for dilapidated schools to be renovated, class sizes to be reduced and more university places to be created. The movement began in mid-September at Saint-Exupéry High School in Créteil and reignited after the two-week break. Students plan further blockades on November 5, the day of a cross-sector nationwide strike called by unions (CFDT, CGT, FO, Unsa and FSU) over wages, pensions and public services. (Photo: file image of the Panthéon in Paris, the march's starting point.)

Update: thousands defied the ban; police surrounded marchers, used tear gas, then let them through

On the afternoon of the march, several thousand students gathered in central Paris despite the Paris police prefecture's ban. The prefecture said two banned processions were surrounded by officers for about an hour before being allowed to proceed to the Sorbonne area and disperse calmly; press agency CLPRESS reported that students were pushed back with police charges and tear gas before being allowed to go to Place de la Sorbonne and Rue d'Ulm under police escort. The Education Ministry counted 48 of roughly 3,700 lycées blocked or disrupted on the morning of November 3, a figure the student union disputed, putting it at 500; the Higher Education Ministry said 51 of 184 higher-education institutions were disrupted, and Paris Dauphine University stayed closed, with no reopening expected before Friday, November 6. Students have directed their demands at the Parcoursup admissions platform, which the government has committed to replacing gradually by 2028; students plan further action on November 5, the cross-sector national strike day.

Sources: Euronews / Associated Press, BFMTV, French Education Ministry (2026-11-03).