Macron Announces Measures Amid French Student Unrest
9 sourcesUpdated Oct 26, 20261 min read
French President Emmanuel Macron said during a Marseille visit that the government would announce several major concrete measures on Monday, Oct. 26, 2026, to address student demands. He said he had asked the government to address the legitimate demands at the root of the protest movement. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu and officials were set to meet student representatives later Monday. Protests began with high school blockades in mid-September. Oct. 17 demonstrations in Marseille included the storming of City Hall. Saturday nationwide demonstrations had lower violence. CONTESTED: Authorities estimated over 400,000 turnout; organizers claimed nearly 800,000. Students demand more teachers, school renovations, changes to teaching hours, smaller classes and changes to Parcoursup. On Oct. 8 the government said it would deploy 3,000 additional substitute teachers to struggling high schools. France is facing record poverty and record public debt. Scrutiny has focused on police riot-control weapons blamed for life-changing injuries to some teenagers.
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Announcing measures in 2026 seems too slow when unrest is happening right now across the country.
The protests are huge so Macron needs to fix the real problems students are facing like tuition and housing costs.
