News Lesson: France, From Classrooms to the Streets
Read the text about the October 2026 protests in France and fill in the gaps.
In September 2026, students at a high school near Paris started a protest. They were angry about a of teachers, classrooms and old, broken buildings. Some classrooms reached 40 degrees during the summer heatwave.
Very quickly, the protest spread across the country. Students blocked the entrances to hundreds of schools, and in some cities there were with the police. Thousands of young people were arrested.
On Saturday 17 October, the movement grew even bigger. Students joined forces with trade , farmers, pensioners and the “Yellow Vests”, a movement that first appeared in 2018. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in cities across France. Their main was the cost of living: fuel, food and rent are getting more expensive, but the government’s new budget plans to benefits and public-sector salaries.
Most of the demonstrators were . However, small groups of set fire to cars and buildings, and some shops were . The police used tear gas and water cannon.
The government says France has to reduce its public , so it can’t spend more money. Its say ordinary people are paying the price while public services get worse. Some experts believe the problem is deeper: many French people feel that politicians don’t listen to them and that voting doesn’t change anything.
Nobody knows what will happen next. Will the government make , or will the protests continue?
Very quickly, the protest spread across the country. Students blocked the entrances to hundreds of schools, and in some cities there were with the police. Thousands of young people were arrested.
On Saturday 17 October, the movement grew even bigger. Students joined forces with trade , farmers, pensioners and the “Yellow Vests”, a movement that first appeared in 2018. Hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets in cities across France. Their main was the cost of living: fuel, food and rent are getting more expensive, but the government’s new budget plans to benefits and public-sector salaries.
Most of the demonstrators were . However, small groups of set fire to cars and buildings, and some shops were . The police used tear gas and water cannon.
The government says France has to reduce its public , so it can’t spend more money. Its say ordinary people are paying the price while public services get worse. Some experts believe the problem is deeper: many French people feel that politicians don’t listen to them and that voting doesn’t change anything.
Nobody knows what will happen next. Will the government make , or will the protests continue?