On Thursday, France’s Education Ministry reported 375 schools fully or partially closed as student protests over education funding continued. Police used tear gas and water cannons, while the Interior Ministry counted more than 6,600 arrests since late September. The demand: €10 billion, from a state running a deficit of 5.4% of GDP.
That arithmetic confronts Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu. Borrowing costs are rising, public debt stands at its highest level since the 1940s, and a gridlocked assembly leaves the government little room to maneuver. The BBC said Lecornu has little to offer students. He has called himself the “weakest prime minister” in living memory and appears unlikely to pass a budget. Student union spokesperson Sabrine Kharbach stated the demand plainly: “Until we have 10 billion euros on the table, we will continue to take action.”
The Fiscal Picture
So far, the government’s offer is modest. Education Minister Édouard Geffray pledged 3,000 replacement teachers “in the coming days.” Lecornu said officials would deploy 3,024 supply teachers not currently assigned to classes, giving priority to 114 secondary schools facing the greatest difficulties. Geffray said they would assign the teachers between Friday and Tuesday. Lecornu also promised amendments to the 2027 budget to turn some student proposals into measures, along with a fuller plan by the end of October.
Many students weren’t convinced. “We don’t want words, we want action,” 17-year-old Camille told AFP in Nantes.
The spending record complicates the case for more money. A recent OECD report found that France spends more per lycée student than the EU average for upper-secondary schools. Teacher shortages are acute but, by OECD measures, milder than elsewhere, with fewer unfilled posts, although French teachers earn relatively low pay. Long school days largely reflect long lunch breaks and complex schedules, while French holidays aren’t especially long by EU standards.
Still, students describe specific problems. Teacher Diane Di Sciullo, 28, told of a class of 37 where pupils scout neighbouring rooms for spare chairs and desks. Emma Khelil, 18, described water leaks and rats at her former school; other students confirmed the claim.
Order and Accountability
Lecornu listed what he called “violence, students and staff being attacked, police officers and gendarmes injured, schools set on fire or vandalized, thousands of hours of classes lost, not to mention threats and insults.” He said security forces had orders to enforce the law, not confront high-school students. On Thursday alone, the Interior Ministry reported 504 arrests and 48 officers injured. It said arsonists attacked a Bordeaux police station, a school in Saint-Etienne was ransacked, and a demonstrator struck a teacher in Toulouse. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called the protests “unprecedented” in the number of schools and pupils involved, and in the degree of violence.
The police response has also drawn scrutiny. The government suspended stun-grenade use after a 15-year-old lost his hand in a clash with riot police, and authorities opened an investigation after a 17-year-old suffered a head injury in Marseille. UNICEF France urged “a de-escalation of violence.” The BBC noted that thousands of those arrested include an unknown number of outside troublemakers.
Politics Before the Vote
Lecornu accused LFI of having a “political agenda” to “throw the country into chaos” ahead of the presidential election due in April. LFI accused police of a disproportionate response. Saint-Denis mayor Bally Bagayoko, an LFI member, called the accusation insulting and urged investment in education and heavier taxes on billionaires. Former president François Hollande called for automatic replacement of absent teachers.
Public sympathy favors the students: a BFMTV poll found 72% regard their demands as legitimate and 55% support the movement. Unions have called a nationwide strike for Tuesday, Oct. 13.
The unrest has crossed borders. Liege’s mayor, Willy Demeyer, banned public gatherings until midnight on Oct. 16, citing a “real, serious and imminent risk” of further clashes after nearly 90 arrests. Belgium’s Interior Minister Bernard Quintin said perpetrators “will have to answer for their actions before the courts.” In Italy, activists adopted the slogan “let’s do as they do in France.”
Why This Matters:
France’s history shows street pressure has repeatedly secured funding. The BBC recounted almost €1 billion and 14,000 additional staff after the 1998 marches, and €10 billion in spending after the yellow vests. This time, the state faces far tighter constraints: a 5.4% deficit and record post-war debt. For other European capitals, the lesson concerns credibility. Governments that can’t keep order in schools or balance their books lose public confidence in both. With an election six months away and a prime minister who admits his weakness, pressure to spend borrowed money is rising just as the room to do so is shrinking. That’s the trade-off Paris must now resolve.