French school protests resume on smaller scale as holidays end

On Monday, French school protests resumed on a smaller scale as students returned from a two-week break, attempting to block a few high schools in Paris, Marseille, and Rennes, according to French media reports. By 0830 GMT, 41 high schools, representing about 1 percent of the nation's total, were reportedly blockaded, as per the Education Ministry.

Prior to the break, hundreds of France's over 3,000 high schools had been blockaded. These protests, which started in Paris suburbs in September, have expanded beyond education, addressing the cost of living and drawing trade unionists and activists, sometimes turning violent.

The protests, known as Gen Z protests, have spread across several European countries, including Germany, Italy, Belgium, and Albania, driven by grievances such as the cost of living, poor school conditions, and perceived corruption. Last month, the French protests turned violent, with clashes with police and riots in several cities, causing shops to be looted, testing President Emmanuel Macron's minority government.

Education Minister Edouard Geffray stated on Monday that the current phenomenon of blockades is marginal, involving just a handful of units and individual schools. While protests are permitted, preventing access to schools is illegal, with police present but not in full anti-riot gear. Students are demanding the renovation of aging schools, more teachers, more university places, and an end to a university admissions system deemed socially unfair.

Education Minister Geffray had previously offered to cap class sizes at 28, allocate €4 billion for school renovations, create 15,000 new higher education places, and introduce a new admission system by 2028. However, high school student representatives claim these offers are insufficient and plan to continue protesting.