The Education Ministry’s morning count puts the disruption to families in focus as workers and students press for better education, higher wages and protected public services. The ministry said 16% of teachers had gone on strike. On 10 November, it counted blockades at 49 of the country’s 3,700 high schools.
Students blockaded the entrances of 49 high schools across France on the morning of 10 November, the Education Ministry said, continuing protests for better learning conditions.
The protests began in September over poor conditions and resources at high schools, then broadened to include workers and the yellow-vest movement, which had previously protested against high living costs. Five unions joined forces across the public and private sectors to demand higher wages and protection of public services.
The latest blockade count differs from the closure tally during the national strike on 5 November. That morning, the ministry counted closed lycées—high schools serving students aged 15–18—and primary schools affected by strikes, the BBC said. An affected school was not necessarily fully closed.
| Measure | Count or share | Whose figure |
|---|---|---|
| High schools closed that morning; described as affected in the Guardian | 81 | Education Ministry / government |
| High schools affected | 1,000 | Student unions |
| Primary schools affected | About 17.5% | Education Ministry, as described by the BBC |
| Teachers who went on strike | 16% | Education Ministry |
| High schools disrupted | ||
The government and student-union counts appeared in the Guardian’s 5 November coverage. The BBC also carried a union estimate that the vast majority of universities were disrupted.
DW reported that the ministry expected 17.5% of primary teachers to strike. The Guardian put the ministry’s forecast for striking nursery and primary teachers at almost 18%.
Students said overcrowded classes and deteriorating buildings remained unresolved. They said government proposals to cap some class sizes and lend regional authorities money for repairs were insufficient.
CFDT union leader Marylise Léon called for a net wage increase of €100 a month, extending beyond minimum-wage earners. CGT union leader Sophie Binet urged protesters to escalate their action through strikes.
The government released 10 million barrels of diesel from strategic reserves to lower fuel costs in response to anger over prices, the BBC said. Ministers also promised to reform Parcoursup, the university admissions platform, and replace it by 2028. Education unions have called for the platform’s abolition and more education funding.
The BBC’s 5 November report described disruption in hospitals and public transport, along with closures at the Eiffel Tower and some exhibition rooms at the Louvre museum in Paris.
Before that day’s action, national rail operator SNCF had forecast disruption on regional lines and in parts of greater Paris. RATP expected normal metro, bus and tram services in the Paris area, except on the RER B line.
Workers were asked to halt oil-refinery production. The BBC also said France was expected to import more electricity than it produced that day because of disruption at nuclear plants.
Binet said more than 250,000 people had demonstrated in almost 70 towns and cities by 13:00 France time (16:00 Yerevan time) on 5 November. Her figure was an interim union count. Authorities had forecast 500,000–700,000 demonstrators nationwide, while Léon had said she would be happy with 800,000.
The Guardian said 70,000 police officers were deployed that morning, following Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez’s announcement of a nationwide police and gendarme deployment. The BBC described a car being set alight in central Lyon as hundreds of people it identified as belonging to radical left-wing “black bloc” groups clashed with police. Clashes also occurred in Rennes, where the local prefect said a hostile group of masked people had gathered ahead of the main union march.
Earlier violence on 17 October involved looting at more than 2,000 stores and fires at historic buildings, the BBC said. The last major weekend mobilization before 5 November passed with relatively little violence. Union leaders complained that the earlier unrest had led authorities to keep recent marches away from central Paris.
The authorized Paris route for 5 November ran from Place de la République to Place de la Nation; the unions had proposed a route from Place de la Bastille to Place de la Concorde. CFDT said court approval came only the previous evening, making organization harder. Léon argued that a demonstration needs to be visible.
The French Human Rights League characterized heavy policing, city-center restrictions and some local curfews as an “authoritarian shift” aimed at stifling dissent. Binet also criticized decisions to move demonstrations away from city centers.
Yellow-vest organizers had called for continued strikes and blockades on 6 November and nationwide demonstrations on 7 November. With students continuing their school protests, another day of strikes and protest has been called for 17 November.
Student unions estimated that 250,000 people joined the nationwide demonstrations against rising living costs and in support of the youth movement.
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The cases concern alleged police misconduct at cost-of-living protests and remain under investigation.
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The government plans the low-interest loans by 2030 and a further €1 billion (about $1.1 billion) for universities by 2029, in response to nationwide protests.
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