A masked protester throws a garbage bin into a fire set up by high school and university students in a street amid clashes with French riot police during a student protest to demand the hiring of substitute teachers, increased resources, and better learning conditions, in Saint-Denis near Paris, France, Oct. 1, 2026. (Credit: Abdul Saboor/Reuters)

Yes to demands, no to violence: Lebanese students in France weigh in on school protests

The protests have spread across France, raising fears of a possible “black week.” More than 400 of the country’s 3,700 high schools were disrupted on Monday.

06 Oct 2026, 08:50 by Anne-Marie El-HAGE · L'Orient Today

For several days now, the Lebanese diaspora in France has found itself caught in the turmoil. Lebanese and French-Lebanese students, as well as their parents, have watched from the sidelines as high-school protests have repeatedly descended into unrest, with violence, fireworks fired at police, trash cans set ablaze, and forceful police interventions. While they acknowledge the legitimacy of some of the protesters’ demands, they deplore what they see as needless violence.The high school protest movement began in the Paris region in mid-September over teaching conditions before spreading across France, raising fears of a possible “black week.” More than 400 of the country’s 3,700 high schools were disrupted on Monday, ahead of a third day of protests, AFP reported. In the news Hundreds of French high schools shut as protests persist ...

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