The movement's escalation follows a series of violent clashes on Monday in which a 15-year-old student in Lens lost a hand after picking up a police grenade. Education Minister Edouard Geffray reported that 24 institutions have been burned or ransacked since the movement began, including a €75 million public school in Nantes, while one report states more than 200 students have been injured.
Wednesday, October 21, 2026
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Students and Teacher Unions Blockade 1,800 French Schools
World15 days ago
Classrooms across every major city in France faced disruption Tuesday morning as a coalition of students, parents and teacher unions surged into the streets. Demonstrators obstructed access to at least 1,800 schools to demand increased funding for teacher shortages and crumbling facilities, while police deployed tear gas to disperse crowds in Vincennes, east of Paris.
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