On 1 September 2026, students at Saint Expuery High School began protesting the conditions they were learning under. Within two weeks, more than 1000 students were protesting, by mid October protests filled the streets of Paris and beyond.
The protests were met by a violent police response, and small groups of masked protesters then began burning cars and buildings.
In this digest we try to make sense of what has happened, to think about the strengths and limits of mobilising, the role of organisation, and the link between these protests and the French elections due in 7 months time.
Photo credit - Dimitar Dilkoff / AFP / Getty
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Her new books are called People Power in Cities & Conscious Tribes: thinking differently about making a difference.
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