French students and teachers call new strike for Tuesday

By AFP Today, 2:26 pm

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People gather on and around the statue in the center of the Place de la Republic square at the end of a demonstration, during a nationwide day of actions called by high-school students and teachers' unions, in Paris, France, on October 6, 2026. (Dimitar DILKOFF/AFP)

Student and teacher groups in France have called for a strike on Tuesday as they keep up pressure on the government for more education spending, continuing weeks of school closures and protests.

A joint statement by unions covering the teacher and student associations says their movement “is in a position of strength (and) the government in a position of weakness and starting to yield.”

They say “it is the moment to broaden the mobilization by keeping the government under pressure.”

The demonstrations have been largely peaceful, but there have at times been clashes with police or vandalism on their sidelines, including on October 17, when France saw its worst rioting in years.