PREVIEW

Pupils gather around a fire lit in the street outside the Rene Cassin high school in Bayonne, south-western France, on October 9, 2026, during a nationwide protest movement over learning conditions. Since late September, pupils have blocked hundreds of schools to denounce teacher shortages, overcrowded classes and dilapidated buildings, with university students and unions joining in. Between 266,000 and 450,000 people marched across France on October 6, according to authorities and organisers, after clashes in several cities. The government says it is betting on dialogue within schools to calm the unrest