Macron warns student anger is being exploited as France braces for more protests

By Laure Valentin

Published on 14/10/2026 - 22:56 GMT+2

Day after day, secondary school students continue to mobilise across France. Most of the actions take the form of peaceful blockades, yet they do not erase the memory of several violent incidents.

The security forces, for their part, are preparing for another day of protests on Saturday 17 October. The government, meanwhile, is issuing a warning.

"The President of the Republic stressed that young people are expressing legitimate anxieties, but that these anxieties are being exploited politically and turned into urban violence, with scenes that are unacceptable", government spokesperson Maud Bregeon said.

Since the start of the movement, more than 6,800 people, 86% of them minors, have been taken into police custody. In that time 36 investigations have been opened by the police regulator the IGPN.

In an attempt to calm the anger of lycée students, the government announced several measures a few days ago, including the deployment of 3,000 substitute teachers to certain schools.

Measures that the students consider insufficient.