Several thousand students and high schoolers gathered in central Paris on Tuesday, November 3, defying a ban imposed by the Paris Police Prefecture. The authorities said two unauthorised processions were spotted and immediately surrounded by police. After being held for about an hour, demonstrators moved toward the Sorbonne and dispersed peacefully at around 4 p.m., according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
The Interfac Ile-de-France student assembly had planned a march from the Panthéon to the headquarters of the Medef employers’ organisation. The prefecture rejected that route and authorised a march only on the outskirts of Paris, between the Porte de Charenton and Porte de Montreuil. Authorities had estimated that between 10,000 and 20,000 people might attend.
Youth organisations called for university and high school blockades ahead of a nationwide interprofessional mobilisation planned for November 5. The education ministry said 48 of France’s roughly 3,700 high schools were blocked on Tuesday. The Union syndicale lycéenne disputed that figure, saying it had counted 500.
In Rennes, police dispersed several hundred high school students, accompanied by union members and teachers, who had gathered in the city centre despite a protest ban. Dozens of students were checked after being surrounded by police, with no significant incident reported by AFP. In Lille, authorities deployed security outside about 10 schools, while the University of Lille said its Moulins and Pont-de-Bois campuses were closed for the day because of blockades. In the Strasbourg area, the Bas-Rhin prefect banned protest gatherings within 50 metres of 11 high schools for the week.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray said on X that students needed access to classes to prepare for the baccalaureate and their further studies. He also said that education staff had again faced violence at some schools and that the authorities would refer incidents involving school personnel to the courts.
After more than a month of blockades, the government announced measures last week that included gradually replacing Parcoursup by 2028, adding 500 posts, capping second-year high school classes at 28 students and creating 15,000 additional places in higher education. Higher Education Minister Philippe Baptiste said 15% of higher education institutions were disrupted on Monday. The unions representing students and high schoolers continue to demand the abolition of the post-secondary admissions platform and €10 billion in investment.
Sources: Le Monde Politique.