Blockades and other disruptions continued at French universities and high schools on Tuesday, November 3, ahead of a nationwide interprofessional mobilization scheduled for Thursday. Student organizations plan to join the action, saying the government’s recent announcements fall short of their demands.
The Education Ministry reported that 48 of France’s 3,700 high schools were blocked by 9:30 a.m. Tuesday. Higher education minister Philippe Baptiste said around 15% of institutions had experienced disruptions on Monday, when students returned from the Toussaint school holidays.
In Paris, Dauphine-PSL University planned to remain closed through Thursday, its president, Bruno Bouchard, said on RTL. He said the institution hoped to reopen on Friday and described maintaining teaching continuity as a priority. Sorbonne-Nouvelle University also announced that its Nation campus would be closed for the day.
Student groups have called for a national blockade. FAGE president Suzanne Nijdam told AFP that students wanted to show the government that university mobilization would continue until it offered concrete responses. High school protests also resumed, including at Rennes’ Bréquigny school, where pupils blocked an entrance after an early-morning confrontation with an administrator. In Paris, bins were placed in front of the entrance to Louis Le Grand, while students at Lycée Balzac were directed through another entrance as police were present.
The government announced a package of measures last week after more than a month of blockades. These include gradually replacing Parcoursup by 2028, reversing planned job cuts in national education, adding 500 positions, capping second-year high school classes at 28 pupils, and creating 15,000 additional higher education places. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu also asked Education Minister Edouard Geffray to ensure that the 200 high schools identified as most in need receive a response. Youth organizations have called the measures a first step but said they are insufficient.
The inter-union group bringing together USL, UNEF, FAGE and Union étudiante continues to demand the complete repeal of Parcoursup and plans to take part in Thursday’s action for purchasing power. In Paris, the proposed march from Place de la Bastille to Place de la Concorde has not yet been approved by authorities. Police have rejected central-city routes for demonstrations on the previous two Saturdays following violence and looting on October 17, instead permitting alternative routes on the city’s outskirts.
A separate student demonstration planned for Tuesday between the Panthéon and the Medef headquarters was also rejected by the Paris Police Prefecture, which proposed a route outside the center. The Interfac Île-de-France collective said it would challenge that decision in administrative court. Authorities expect between 15,000 and 30,000 people to demonstrate in Paris on Tuesday.
Sources: Le Monde Politique.