Fires, barricades, and fraternité: 7 photos that show the scale of the protests sweeping France

Oct 8, 2026 · 3 min read

Kim Schewitz

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Masked demonstrator holds a French flag with handwritten text in front of a columned stone building. — Hundreds of thousands of students have taken to the streets all over France.
Muhammed Said Tako/Anadolu via Getty Images

What started as a peaceful demonstration in a southern suburb of Paris in late September has evolved into nationwide protests across France.

Hundreds of thousands of high school students, parents, teachers, and union members have taken to the streets this week to protest what they say is underfunding in education, citing concerns such as dilapidated buildings and teacher shortages.

The protests have spread to more than 40 French cities, including Paris, Lyon, Marseille, and Rennes.

Crowd of demonstrators fills a tree-lined city street holding French protest signs about overcrowded high schools. — The protests spanned the whole of France.
Miguel MEDINA / AFP via Getty Images

In the photo above, student protesters can be seen taking to the streets in Marseille in the south of France.

The streets of Paris were crowded with protesters on Tuesday, October 6.

Crowd fills a tree-lined city street during a public march with banners and protest signs. — An estimated 450,000 people participated in the protests.
GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP via Getty Images

The French Government counted 265,000 demonstrators on October 6.

Organizers said the number was closer to 450,000.

Students are demanding renovations to run-down buildings, a mass hiring of teaching staff, and changes to the university application system.

Masked protesters hold French signs outside Lycée Jeanne d'Arc, beneath French and European Union flags. — High school students in Nancy, northern France, protest outside a school on October 5.
Muhammed Said Tako/Anadolu via Getty Images

Students have set up makeshift barricades outside high schools and universities and set fire to them in the streets.

Masked people stand near burning debris and heavy smoke during a street disturbance. — Protestors made blockades near schools.
FRED TANNEAU / AFP via Getty Images

In the photo above, a protester throws a street sign onto a burning blockade in Brest, western France, on October 2.

France's Justice Ministry said 5,060 people have been detained since the protests began, with 87% of them minors.

Protesters confront riot police with shields during an outdoor crowd-control scene in bright daylight. — Protesters and police can be seen clashing in the northern Parisian suburb of Aubervilliers on October 1.
LOU BENOIST / AFP via Getty Images

Police have been accused of excessive force against students.

A 15-year-old boy's hand was blown off on Monday by a stun grenade, a local official told media outlets.

"High school students' voices are precious and must be heard," Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Wednesday.

Flames and thick black smoke rise from a street barricade between parked cars as masked people stand nearby. — A makeshift barricade was set on fire in Lyon on October 6.
Olivier CHASSIGNOLE / AFP via Getty Images

In a post on X, Lecornu shared a link to an online consultation where high schoolers can express their issues and suggestions.

As of publish time, the site had recorded more than 43,500 participants.

On Wednesday, the French government said it was undertaking five projects to address the issues they are hearing about from the protestors.

Crowd of masked demonstrators raises hands around the Monument à la République in a city square. — Protesters in Paris on October 6.
Dimitar DILKOFF / AFP via Getty Images

The five projects, as outlined on the French government's website, are: replacing absent teachers, improving the state of buildings, better organizing students' days, making orientation — including the divisive Parcoursup website — more readable, and strengthening the role of student councils.

Kim Schewitz is a health reporter who covers our growing obsession with health optimization and -maxxing, and how it influences pop culture and Big Business.Since 2023, she has interviewed dozens of doctors, researchers, and dietitians about their science-backed health advice, often focusing on the gut microbiome and the Mediterranean diet, and reported on the rise of young colon cancer and how its impacting the lives of patiens in their 20s, 30, and 40s. She has previously written for VICE, The i paper, and GLAMOUR UK.

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