France Student Protests and Public Sector Strike (September 2026)

French Student Protests and Public Sector Strike (September 2026), is a series of actions encompassing high school student school blockades and demonstrations during the last week of September 2026, alongside a nationwide strike and marches organized by public sector workers on 29 September. High school students blocked schools in response to issues such as overcrowded classrooms, heavy workloads, teacher shortages, and poor physical conditions of schools; the actions began in the Île-de-France region and spread to other areas.

In the public sector, eight representative unions organized strikes and marches on 29 September 2026 in line with demands for better pay for public employees. The actions took place two days before the presentation of the 2027 state budget draft and approximately seven months before the first round of the 2027 French presidential election.

^{Public employees stage protests ahead of the 2027 budget presentation in Paris, 29 September 2026 - (Anadolu Ajansı)}

On 24 June 2026, the unions CGT, CFDT, UNSA, FSU, Solidaires, CFE-CGC and FA-FP issued a joint statement on behalf of public employees.^【1】 The statement highlighted how the heatwave experienced in the country had underscored the need for public services and the importance of protecting the most vulnerable populations.

The unions noted that despite the challenges faced by six million public employees, the government had taken no urgent action on wages. The statement argued that differential allowances and individual travel expense arrangements could not substitute for a general wage increase, particularly one involving a significant rise in the index point value. It also emphasized widespread recruitment difficulties across all areas of public service and many professional categories, as well as a loss of attractiveness in these professions.

^{Deteriorating educational conditions in high schools across Türkiye are being protested by students, September 29, 2026 - (Anadolu Agency)}

The unions reiterated the following demands in their statement:

• A general wage increase, with a substantial rise in the index point value;
• Revising salary scales (grilles indiciaires) to ensure genuine career progression for all categories, removing starting salaries from below the minimum wage (Smic) level, and reassessing professions predominantly occupied by women;
• Reinstatement of the individual purchasing power guarantee (garantie individuelle de pouvoir d’achat);
• Ensuring 100 percent protection of salaries for public employees on sick leave and eliminating the waiting day (jour de carence);
• Achieving equal pay and professional equality between women and men;
• Guarantees for implementing European Union directives on wage transparency and allocating concrete resources for equality policies.

The unions stated that the budget calendar could not be used as an excuse to delay addressing public employees’ demands. They also announced they were preparing for a march and demonstration, including the possibility of a strike on 29 September.

^{Public employees protest ahead of the 2027 budget presentation in Paris, 29 September 2026 – (Anadolu Agency)}

In mid-September, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced in an interview with the newspaper Le Figaro that he planned to freeze the index point again in 2027.^【2】 The government intends to save two billion euros by keeping the index point frozen in 2027, the value used to calculate base salaries for public employees. According to the unions, this decision will mark the fourth consecutive year the index point has been frozen and the eighth such freeze during Macron’s presidency. The unions argue that these freezes have caused double-digit losses in public employees’ purchasing power.^【3】 Lecornu stated in September that the government aims for savings of 54 billion euros in the 2027 budget. France’s economy is expected to record lower growth in 2026 than previously projected.

The unions note that 862,000 public employees earn base salaries below the legal minimum wage. Eight unions — CGT, FO, CFDT, UNSA, FSU, Solidaires, CFE-CGC and FA-FP — coordinated their actions for the 29 September demonstration. CFDT presented a strike notice covering employees in all three branches of the public sector: the state, local authorities and hospitals. CFDT General Secretary Marylise Léon, in an interview with France 2 on 28 September, called for wage increases for all workers. CGT announced that over 150 demonstrations would be held in 91 departments and labeled 29 September a “black day.”

^{Public employees are staging protests ahead of the 2027 budget presentation in Paris, 29 September 2026 - (Anadolu Ajansı)}

Following heatwaves and large-scale fires during the summer months, firefighters have demanded an increase in personnel and resources and improved working conditions. An inter-union structure composed of nine organized unions in fire and rescue services issued a nationwide strike notice covering the period from 8 September to 20 October 2026. Firefighters also participated in the public sector strike and demonstrations on 29 September.

Emergency services in Paris and its inner suburbs are provided by the Paris Fire Brigade (Brigade de sapeurs-pompiers de Paris), a military unit without the right to strike. As a result, firefighter actions on 29 September primarily involved personnel in the outer suburbs of Paris and other regions of France.

Police union demands included increasing risk allowances, boosting personnel and resources, raising wages, and improving working conditions.^【4】 Alliance Police Nationale argued that an additional annual resource of between 300 and 500 million euros is needed to meet these needs. Alliance, Un1té and UNSA Police unions stated after a meeting with Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez on 4 September that insufficient progress had been made on their demands.

On 15 September 2026, under the leadership of Alliance Police Nationale, thousands of police officers marched in Paris. The unions, noting that no results were achieved in their subsequent meeting with the Interior Minister on 24 September, joined the actions on 29 September. The demonstrations called for higher salaries, increased risk allowances, additional personnel, and better working conditions.

President Emmanuel Macron is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term. The first round of the presidential election is scheduled for 18 April 2027, with the second round set for 2 May 2027.^【5】 Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La France Insoumise (LFI), finished third in the 2022 presidential election and fourth in both 2017 and 2012. Mélenchon is expected to aim for a place in the second round of the 2027 election, with support from young voters considered crucial. LFI is one of the left-wing parties in the New Popular Front (Nouveau Front Populaire, NFP) coalition, formed in 2024 to oppose the far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National, RN) party. The coalition placed ahead of RN in the elections but ultimately resulted in a fragmented parliament. Political gridlock followed the elections, leading to votes of confidence in governments.^【6】

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu is attempting to build the necessary support to pass the 2027 state budget in a political environment lacking a parliamentary majority. Opponents are resisting the spending cuts proposed in the government’s budget. They also argue that rising energy costs and other expenses have increased the burden on households.^【7】

High school students began blocking schools and holding demonstrations outside their institutions starting in the last week of September. Their main complaints included overcrowded classrooms, heavy workloads, insufficient learning materials, and teacher shortages. Students also protested issues such as curriculum design, class sizes, and excessive classroom heat following recent heatwaves.

^{Pooring education conditions in high schools across France are being protested by students, September 29, 2026 – (Anadolu Agency)}

The actions began in the Île-de-France region around Paris. The Union Syndicale Lycéenne, representing high school students’ rights, announced on Tuesday 29 September a nationwide school blockade and declared that the action would coincide with the public sector strike day. Unions representing primary school teachers stated they expected approximately 40 percent of teachers not to report to work on 29 September.

On Monday, 28 September, the actions spread beyond the Île-de-France region. Protests were held in Lille, Marseille and Sedan; four high schools in the southern regions of Alpes-Maritimes and Var were blocked.

On 29 September, similar actions took place in cities such as Nantes, Bordeaux, Lyon and Rennes.

According to data from the Ministry of Education on 29 September, over 330 high schools were affected by the actions. This number represents less than one-tenth of all high schools in the country. In the Paris region, education authorities identified approximately 10 school blockades on Tuesday.

According to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, as of the night of Monday, 28 September, approximately 180 educational institutions experienced incidents and 164 people were arrested. A total of 27 people were injured, including 12 students, three school staff members and 12 police officers.^【9】 Footage broadcast by French media showed some student demonstrators setting fires inside school buildings and using fireworks, while police responded with tear gas.

Nuñez stated that the incidents had gone beyond expressing student demands and had turned into violent acts. Nuñez noted that some demonstrators wore masks, carried fireworks and various objects, and clashed with security forces, saying, “We cannot tolerate extremism.”

In the Alpes-Maritimes region, police arrested 10 high school students on 28 September, accusing them of arson, throwing objects and involvement in other violent incidents that resulted in injuries to two students. Regional authorities confirmed the arrests were linked to these events. Île-de-France Regional President Valérie Pécresse announced on 29 September that 15 high schools had been damaged, with repair costs estimated at approximately 200,000 euros.

^{Students are protesting deteriorating educational conditions in high schools across France, September 29, 2026 – (Anadolu Agency)}

On Tuesday, 29 September, high school students continued blockades at some schools, set trash bins on fire, and threw various objects during clashes with police.^【10】 In Lille, masked students at the Lycée César Baggio set fire to trash bins. Bus stops and advertising billboards were damaged in the area; bottles, paving stones and other objects were thrown at police, who responded with tear gas.

At the Lycée Gabriel Guist’hau in Nantes, students stacked dozens of trash bins to block the school entrance. In Paris, tension arose between approximately 30 students and police outside the Arago High School. In Rennes, about 100 students at the Bretagne region’s largest high school, Lycée Brequigny, threw various objects at the building. Similar actions occurred in Marseille, Bordeaux and Lyon.

In the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris, mobile police units tracked a student protest and reported the arrest of approximately 40 demonstrators. At the Arago High School in Paris, some students sat on top of trash containers to block the entrance, covering their faces.

^{Students in France are protesting deteriorating educational conditions in high schools across the country, 29 September 2026 – (Anadolu Agency)}

During the demonstrations, banners reading “Macron explosion” were unfurled outside the Arago High School, and another banner reading “Less police, more money” appeared outside the Hélène-Boucher High School. In a Paris demonstration, a young protester held a sign reading “We want teachers, not weapons”; in Nantes, students carried signs reading “We want to be educated, not exposed to tear gas”.

On Tuesday, 29 September 2026, teachers, healthcare workers, firefighters, police officers and France Travail employees joined the strike and marches. The CGT, FO, CFDT, UNSA, FSU, Solidaires, CFE-CGC and FA-FP unions organized nationwide demonstrations demanding higher wages for public employees. Morning rallies were held in the Hauts-de-Seine and Val-de-Marne regions of Île-de-France, after which protesters moved toward Paris.

^{Public employees stage protests ahead of the 2027 budget presentation in Paris, 29 September 2026 - (Anadolu Ajansı)}

The joint march organized by the unions began at 14:00 at Place de la République (3rd, 10th and 11th districts). The route was as follows:

• Place de la République (3rd, 10th and 11th districts) — starting point
• Boulevard du Temple (3rd and 11th districts)
• Boulevard des Filles du Calvaire (3rd and 11th districts)
• Boulevard Beaumarchais (3rd, 4th and 11th districts)
• Place de la Bastille (4th, 11th and 12th districts) — meeting point with firefighters’ march
• Rue de Lyon (12th district)
• Avenue Daumesnil (12th district)
• Boulevard Diderot (12th district)
• Place de la Nation (11th, 12th and 20th districts) — endpoint and dispersal point

Firefighters followed a separate route. Their march began at 14:15 at Place d’Italie (13th district), and they later joined the inter-union march from Place de la République at Place de la Bastille. The march ended at Place de la Nation.^【11】

The route was as follows:

• Place d’Italie (13th district) — starting point
• Boulevard de l’Hôpital (5th and 13th districts)
• Place Valhubert (5th and 13th districts), in front of Gare d’Austerlitz
• Pont d’Austerlitz
• Place Mazas (12th district)
• Pont Morland (4th and 12th districts)
• Boulevard Bourdon (4th district)
• Place de la Bastille — meeting point with the march from République
• Place de la Nation — final destination

According to the march order announced by FO Essonne, the unions were arranged as follows: CGT (General Confederation of Labour), FO (Force Ouvrière), CFDT (French Democratic Confederation of Labour), UNSA (National Union of Autonomous Unions), FSU (United Federation of Unions), Solidaires, CFE-CGC (Confederation of French Executive, Office and Engineering Staff), and FA-FP.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu responded on social media on the night of Monday, 28 September, to the violent incidents around high schools. Lecornu stated, “Fireworks, fires, violence around schools: nothing justifies putting students, school staff or police officers at risk.” He criticized LFI’s calls to expand the protest movement, saying, “This escalation is irresponsible.” However, he acknowledged the need to listen to and address the concerns raised by students in schools.^【12】

Minister of Education Édouard Geffray described the protests as “a classic high school student movement”. He accused groups involved in violent acts of exploiting the movement and criticized Jean-Luc Mélenchon. In his statement on the night of Monday, 28 September, Geffray said, “The blockades are being politically hijacked by elected representatives of La France Insoumise.” He also argued that what began as protests centered on student demands had evolved into urban violence, creating problems for school democracy.

Jean-Luc Mélenchon made statements on Monday, 28 September, supporting students participating in school protests. After Lecornu accused LFI officials of inciting scattered demonstrations, Mélenchon accused the government of suppressing students “cruelly” and with “an openly racist undertone.” Mélenchon shared the message “Do not touch our youth” on social media and called on LFI supporters to join the protest movement “wherever possible.”

Lecornu responded to the racism accusation with, “This is an insult.” He affirmed the right of students and school staff to safety and protection and emphasized that police officers must be respected while carrying out their duties. Lecornu condemned violence and attacks against high school students and accused Mélenchon of “racializing” the debate on student safety and exacerbating social divisions in an environment where responsible politicians should promote calm.

On 29 September, Mélenchon addressed demonstrators in Paris, accusing the government of systematically dismantling public services and calling on his supporters to organize actions against the budget draft.

CGT General Secretary Sophie Binet, in an interview with BFM TV, demanded that the government not send police to the entrances of high schools and criticized police intervention around blocked schools. Binet said, “What they want are desks, chairs and teachers; the response they receive is the deployment of law enforcement.”

Binet gave the government a 48-hour deadline to withdraw the spending cuts proposed in the draft budget, warning that otherwise broader strike actions would be scheduled. She also criticized government wage policies, noting that public employees and other workers had been on the front lines during summer heatwaves and fires. Binet called on the government to address union demands and review the budget draft, arguing that current policies are exposing France to the risk of recession.^【15】

The 2027 budget draft is scheduled to be presented by the government two days after the 29 September strike, on Thursday, 1 October 2026. The firefighters’ nationwide strike notice remains valid until 20 October 2026.