News Lesson B2: France, From School Gates to a National Crisis
Read about the October 2026 protests in France and fill in the gaps.
Word Bank
Tap a word, then tap a gap. On a computer you can also drag it.
turnout
vandalised
debt
demanding
concessions
complaint
touch
price
clashes
freeze
spread
looted
What began on 17 September 2026 as a small protest at a high school in Créteil, a working-class suburb of Paris, has grown into France's biggest wave of protests in years. Students were more teachers, smaller classes and better buildings, but within weeks their movement had to hundreds of schools across the country. There were blockades, violent with riot police and thousands of arrests.
On Saturday 17 October, the students were joined by trade unions, farmers, pensioners and former members of the "Yellow Vest" movement of 2018. According to the Interior Ministry, around 550,000 people took to the streets, although other estimates of the were much higher. Their main was the rising cost of living: fuel and food prices keep going up, yet the government's draft budget would benefits and public-sector pay.
The vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful, but masked groups public buildings, set fire to the tourist office in Lyon and shops in Paris. Police responded with tear gas and water cannon, and an independent body is now investigating claims that officers used too much force.
The government says it has no choice: the cost of borrowing money is at its highest level for over twenty years, and France must reduce its public . Critics argue that ordinary people are paying the for spending cuts while schools, hospitals and other public services get worse. For many observers, the real problem is a lack of trust: many people feel that politicians are out of and that voting no longer changes anything.
It is still unclear whether the government will make or refuse to back down.
On Saturday 17 October, the students were joined by trade unions, farmers, pensioners and former members of the "Yellow Vest" movement of 2018. According to the Interior Ministry, around 550,000 people took to the streets, although other estimates of the were much higher. Their main was the rising cost of living: fuel and food prices keep going up, yet the government's draft budget would benefits and public-sector pay.
The vast majority of demonstrators were peaceful, but masked groups public buildings, set fire to the tourist office in Lyon and shops in Paris. Police responded with tear gas and water cannon, and an independent body is now investigating claims that officers used too much force.
The government says it has no choice: the cost of borrowing money is at its highest level for over twenty years, and France must reduce its public . Critics argue that ordinary people are paying the for spending cuts while schools, hospitals and other public services get worse. For many observers, the real problem is a lack of trust: many people feel that politicians are out of and that voting no longer changes anything.
It is still unclear whether the government will make or refuse to back down.