2026 Student Protests, Paris
In late September 2026, students in the Paris suburbs, or banlieues, began blocking their schools to protest building conditions and a lack of teachers and educational resources. Within a few days, the movement spread to the capital and the rest of the country, with hundreds of thousands of high school and university students demanding more funding for education. The demands and support for the students expanded to encompass a greater nationwide discontent with the cost of living and public services in France. The movement grew as more unions and citizens joined in, including the infamous Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests), who first appeared in 2017-2018 to also protest the cost of living in France. The protests have mostly been peaceful, but there have been some violent riots. Police have forcibly responded to the protests with tear gas, water cannons, and stun grenades despite activists denouncing some of the violent tactics of law enforcement.
Protests escalated on Oct. 17 at Place de la République in Paris as hundreds of thousands took to the streets to denounce rising cost of living and the government's complacency. Rioters and police eventually clashed across several cities in France, with fires, looting, and gassing continuing late into the night.
Students march from Paris' Hotel de Ville, or City Hall, to demand more funding for public services, including education, on Oct. 13.
Students march from Paris' Hotel de Ville, or City Hall, to demand more funding for public services, including education, on Oct. 13.
Parents place themselves between police and student protesters marching across the streets of Paris, Oct. 13.
Students march from Paris' Hotel de Ville, or City Hall, to demand more funding for public services, including education, on Oct. 13.
Flares burn as tensions rise between some protesters and police, Oct. 13 near Les Invalides.
Union workers joined students to protest the rising cost of living and demand more funding for public services, Oct. 13.
Protesters climb a statue at Place Vauban, near Les Invalides, as tensions with police grows, Oct. 13.
Young protesters pose with a sign "Youth Angry" during a march at Place de la Bastille, Oct. 8.
Students march toward Place de la République to protest the rising cost of living and demand more funding for public services, Oct. 17.
Police fire tear gas toward protesters at Place de la Bastille, Oct. 8
Tear gas engulfs Place de la République in Paris, Oct. 17, as hundreds of thousands took to the streets to denounce the rising cost of living and the government's complacency.
Protesters take shelter behind a metal sheet as a police water cannon is used at Place de la République, Oct. 17.
A Gilet Jaune walks with a French flag amid the tense clashes between police and protesters at Place de la République, Oct. 17.
Volunteer street medics attend to an injured protester at Place Vauban, near Les Invalides, during an Oct. 13 protest.
A protester holds up a sign inspired by the French national anthem that reads, "Let's march, let's march, a thousand carnages in the name of the nation," at Place de la République, Oct. 17.