Student protests grip France as Prime Minister Lecornu calls crisis meeting

The demonstrations erupted in Paris-region schools last week and have snowballed, with police making hundreds of arrests in clashes with the young protesters.

On October 26, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu canceled all ministerial trips abroad after police logged 312 arrests during clashes with high school protesters in the Paris region. The protests began on October 19 in over 40 schools across Île-de-France, with students demanding a reversal of a €180 million cut to operational budgets for public high schools. By October 25, the movement had spread to 12 additional regions, and organizers reported that roughly 2,300 students had participated in sit-ins or marches. Lecornu’s crisis meeting brought together the education minister, the interior minister, and representatives of two major teacher unions to discuss immediate concessions.

The euro slipped 0.4% against the US dollar on October 27 as markets reacted to the spreading unrest. Analysts at JPMorgan estimate that the move adds roughly €12 to the monthly cost of a standard basket of imported consumer goods for a French household. For readers who hold euro‑denominated assets or plan travel to the eurozone, this shift directly changes the purchasing power of their money. The impact is expected to persist until the government announces a clear fiscal response, which analysts say could take at least two weeks.

French student unrest has repeatedly flared when education financing is tightened, echoing the 2006 demonstrations against the CPE labor contract that also began in lycées. Since 2018, the state’s share of GDP devoted to education has dropped from 5.6% to 5.0%, a reduction of roughly €12 billion in annual funding. Insiders note that the current wave is the first since 2018 in which high schoolers, rather than university students, have led the street actions. Historically, such youth‑led protests have preceded broader labor movements, as seen when the 2006 student unrest helped ignite the nationwide strikes against the retirement reform later that year.

The government is set to release a revised education funding proposal on November 15, detailing how it will restore €100 million of the cut budget. A parliamentary vote on the accompanying amendment is scheduled for December 2, with opposition parties expected to demand a full reversal. Analysts at INSEE predict that if the vote passes, the euro could regain half of its recent loss within ten days of the announcement. Ironically, despite the street unrest, enrollment in private contracted schools rose 3% in the 2023‑2024 academic year, suggesting families are seeking alternatives to the public system.