The start of the All Saints' Day holidays opens on Monday with the resumption of mobilization. Student and high school organizations intend to continue the movement started six weeks ago, dissatisfied with the concessions announced by the government. For its part, the executive believes that “the time to return to class has come”.

Published on: 02/11/2026 - 02:21 Modified on: 02/11/2026 - 09:19

The All Saints' Day holidays have barely ended when the protest movement of high school and university students wants to resume with a vengeance on Monday, November 2. “Of course we are calling for a blockade” and “the high schools will be blocked from Monday”, assured, on Sunday, Pierre Sourzat, president of the organization Les Lycéens!, while the High School Union (USL) and the Student Union called for new blockages on Tuesday and Thursday.

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Unef, for its part, called on Saturday "to organize in all universities this Monday, November 2", estimating that "Tuesday, November 3 must be a black day in universities", with blockages of faculties and high schools across the country.

Last Monday, the ministers of National Education and Higher Education announced a series of measures to try to put an end to the movement, which began in mid-September.

In particular, they promised the gradual replacement of Parcoursup by 2028, the cancellation of planned job cuts in National Education, the creation of 500 additional positions, a capping of 28 students per second year class and 15,000 additional places in higher education.

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According to Matignon, the Prime Minister also asked the Minister of National Education, following the interministerial meeting organized last Thursday with the regions and high school students, to ensure that a response is provided to the 200 high schools in greatest difficulty identified on the consultation platform.

A “first step” for youth organizations, but largely insufficient in their eyes.

“The anger continues”

These announcements even convinced some to continue their commitment, Marius Mesnil, co-secretary general of the USL, explains to AFP.

“Even if it’s not satisfactory, it’s still real things, it’s the first successes, it shows that the mobilization is working,” assures the high school leader, who expects “a lot of blockades.”

“The anger continues. We don’t feel any shortness of breath at all,” adds Coppélia Moreau, member of Interfac Île-de-France, which brings together students from university general assemblies.

The collective has planned a new Parisian demonstration on Tuesday, between the Pantheon and the Medef headquarters.

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On the ground, however, some students recognize that the weeks of blocking are starting to take their toll. “There are quite a few who are running out of steam at the moment because we have very few answers and the baccalaureate at the end of the year,” admits Mélia, a first year student at the Rostand high school in Dreux, who estimates having already missed 26 hours of lessons.

“But we are going to get motivated again,” she assures us, determined to return to demonstrate.

“As long as the government doesn’t put anything in place, we will never get tired of it,” insists Maxime [first name changed], a final year student in Essonne. “Even if my school is not the most to be pitied, I don’t want to give up for the others.”

For the executive, “the time to return to class has come”

School leaders are also apprehensive about the resumption: “No one knows what to expect, everyone is a little on the alert,” Agnès Andersen, general secretary of the ID-FO school leaders union, told AFP.

“We are worried. The profession ended up on its knees just before the holidays,” Carole Zerbib, principal of the Vauquelin high school in Paris and member of the SNPDEN-Unsa executive, declared on Friday on RMC.

The manager fears clashes between students in front of the establishments, "between those who wish to block and those who wish to enter."

From Monday, the police will increase their numbers to secure schools and support the educational community after the violence observed during previous mobilizations, according to a message from the National Directorate of Public Security consulted by AFP.

“The time to return to class has come,” Emmanuel Macron’s entourage told the press on Sunday, while recognizing that “this kind of movement never ends absolutely clearly.”

“It’s very simple”, if the government announces that “our demands will be listened to, we go back to school”, assures Marius Mesnil.

The inter-union group bringing together the USL, Unef, Fage and the Student Union is demanding in particular an investment of ten billion euros in education and higher education as well as the repeal of Parcoursup.

“Residual” blockages, according to Édouard Geffray

The high school blockades are "a priori residual", "of the order of a few units" Monday morning, said the Minister of Education Édouard Geffray on France Inter, calling for high school students who wish to be allowed to work.

“At this stage and with a lot of caution, this morning we were in a few disrupted high schools,” declared the minister, who mentions “a few in Île-de-France, a few in the North, one or two in Toulouse.”

“I have students who take the baccalaureate at the end of the year, several hundred thousand of whom have not had classes for four or five weeks (…), and for whom, consequently, the school year is now at risk,” also indicated Édouard Geffray.

“You cannot prevent your classmates from going to class, especially when you yourself have already passed the baccalaureate and are no longer concerned by the subject,” he declared.

With AFP

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