Full Breakdown
Greta Thunberg Joins Nationwide French Student Protests
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event
On October 13, 2026, Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg arrived at the Lycée Paul-Eluard in the Saint-Denis suburb of Paris and stood with high-school students blocking the school entrance. She joined a march that began in the morning and was slated to continue through Paris and other cities later that day.
Background & Context
The demonstration is part of a fourth consecutive week of student actions that began late September over deteriorating school conditions. Protesters cite chronic teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, dilapidated buildings and rigid timetables. The movement is backed by trade unions, the university student union l’Union, the left-wing party France Unbowed, and the far-left opposition La France Insoumise (LFI). Students have piled dumpsters and erected barriers to block access to hundreds of lycées, prompting periodic clashes with police.
Data & Statistics
- The education ministry reported that about 200 schools were closed on the day of the protest, a decline from the previous week (Education Minister Edouard Geffray).
- An earlier ministry statement noted 130 of France’s 3,700 lycées were closed, while the number of closures was falling but “the violence is intensifying.”
- The previous nationwide rally drew more than 70,000 participants and resulted in around 500 arrests.
- Over the course of the protests, more than 6,800 people, largely minors, have been taken into police custody (justice ministry).
- Injuries include eight teaching staff members hurt on Monday, plus reports of a student losing a hand to a stun-grenade, another losing teeth to tear-gas, and a third losing an eye.
Official Statements & Responses
Education Minister Edouard Geffray highlighted the reduction in school closures but warned that authorities were closing routes near protest sites to prevent damage. The government announced the deployment of 3,000 substitute teachers to the 114 most affected lycées, a move the national students’ union dismissed as insufficient.
Verbatim Quotes
- “These are issues that deserve time, consultations, discussion and respect,” — Emmanuel Macron, french president
- “Young people are not being included in the conversation. Our future is being robbed away from us,” — Greta Thunberg, swedish climate activist
- “They’re not listening to us, so we’re going to them.” — Education Minister Edouard Geffray