In brief

• French high school students resumed school blockades on Monday after a two-week holiday, rejecting the government's latest measures.
• Blockades were smaller than before the break, with 41 high schools reported blocked on Monday morning, including schools in Paris, Marseille and Toulouse.
• Student unions have called for further blockades from Tuesday and a demonstration on 5 November.

Blockades resume on a smaller scale

On Monday, students blocked dozens of secondary schools across France, a far smaller wave than before the holidays (Sébastien Lecornu se dit prêt à recevoir de nouveau les représentants lycéens « la semaine prochaine » ; 41 lycées bloqués lundi, dont plusieurs à Paris, Marseille et Toulouse – Le Monde) (У Франції блокади шкіл відновилися у меншому масштабі, ніж до канікул – Європейська правда). Le Monde counted 41 high schools blocked that morning, including several in Paris, Marseille and Toulouse. Blockades were also reported in the Île-de-France region, Toulouse and the Nord department in the north (Francuscy uczniowie znów protestują. Rząd apeluje o powrót do klas – Bankier.pl), as well as in Rennes.

Education Minister Edouard Geffray described the actions as marginal and did not give an exact number of blocked schools.

Students say the offer is not enough

The cabinet unveiled a set of steps last week, among them a new system to substitute the university application portal and credit for funding school repairs (У Франції з понеділка учні відновлюють блокади шкіл – Європейська правда). Students and pupils said the proposals were insufficient. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said he is ready to meet student representatives again next week.

The school protests started in September over poor learning conditions. They later merged with wider demonstrations against rising living costs and inequality. Saturday's marches drew hundreds of thousands of demonstrators across the country, among them secondary and college pupils, marking the third weekend in a row of protest action (French high school blockades to restart on Monday, student unions say – France 24).

What comes next

Student unions have called for blockades to continue after the holiday. Sabrine Kharbach, spokeswoman for the national student union UNEF, said universities and high schools would be blocked from Tuesday and again on Thursday, ahead of a demonstration planned for 5 November (Masowe protesty we Francji. To nie koniec, demonstranci znów wyjdą na ulice – Polsat News). Pierre Sourza, head of a student organisation, said the largest actions would take place from Tuesday.

Read also

• France Offers School Concessions After Weeks of Student Protests