French high schoolers return from break with protest turnout uncertain but vows to 'keep up pressure'

French high school protests resumed on Monday following a two-week break, though on a much smaller scale than previous weeks. According to the New Straits Times and Free Malaysia Today, students attempted to blockade a few high schools in Rennes, Marseille, and Paris. This follows a period prior to the break when hundreds of France's more than 3,000 high schools were blockaded.

Le Monde English reports that while student groups called for blockades starting Monday or Tuesday, some students are expressing doubts due to mounting pressure from exams and university admissions.

The protests began in the Paris suburbs in September and have expanded across France, shifting focus from education to include the cost of living. This has drawn in activists and trade unionists, and in some instances, resulted in violent clashes with police and riots involving looted shops. Free Malaysia Today and the New Straits Times note that these "Gen Z" protests are part of a broader wave across European countries such as Italy, Germany, Belgium, and Albania, driven by grievances regarding corruption, the state of schools, and the cost of living.

Education Minister Edouard Geffray told radio station France Inter on Monday morning that the phenomenon of blockades is very marginal, involving only a few individual schools or units. He stated that while protests are allowed, preventing access to schools is illegal. Television footage showed police officers present at the scenes, though they were not wearing full anti-riot gear.

Brief written by urgent.news from Le Monde English, Free Malaysia Today, New Straits Times — 3 reports on this story. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.