Thousands of students in France are protesting against the condition of their schools. They have fought with riot police. There are reports that police used tear gas against some protestors. The students began protesting in September. France's Education Ministry said more than 1,020 high schools have been affected. Around 5,000 people have been arrested in the past week. Most were teenagers. More than 65 school staff have been injured.
The students are angry about poor conditions in schools. They say there is a lack of teachers, overcrowded classrooms, and old school buildings. One student said: "We don't even have enough chairs." Students want more spending on education. In particular, they say schools in poorer areas get fewer resources despite greater educational needs. The government said there would be "concrete responses" to fix things.
Try the same news story at these levels:
School Protests - Level 5 or School Protests - Level 6
Sources- https://www.france24.com/en/france/20261002-hundreds-of-french-schools-remain-closed-as-student-protests-turn-violent
- https://time.com/article/2026/10/02/france-student-protests-arrests-injuries-school-closures/
- https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/ck3r5dxxwqzpo
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