PARIS.- France's promised "Black Tuesday" arrived on November 3, 2026, as students blocked high schools and universities across the country early in the morning, while United Nations experts voiced concern over what they described as excessive force by French authorities in breaking up recent nationwide student demonstrations. Paris police estimated between 15,000 and 30,000 demonstrators would take to the streets of the capital on Tuesday, following a call by student organizations, according to broadcaster BFMTV.
Blockades continued at several high schools and universities in Paris, as well as in Marseille and Toulouse, where 12 of the city's 13 high schools were disrupted on Monday, BFMTV reported. On Monday, the Paris police prefecture banned a planned march from the Pantheon to the area around the Medef employers' headquarters, citing the route. The education demonstrations first erupted last month in a high school in Creteil, southeast of Paris, over a lack of staff, and have since grown into a wider movement over school conditions and the cost of living.
UN experts raise concern as nearly 1,000 were arrested on Saturday
A group of United Nations experts has voiced concern over what they describe as excessive force used by French authorities in breaking up recent nationwide student demonstrations, according to reports published on November 3, 2026. The warning lands after another wave of mass protests on Saturday, when almost 1,000 people were arrested, officials said, with some clashes breaking out late in the day following largely peaceful demonstrations. Police used tear gas and water cannon to disperse crowds in several cities, including Paris, while barricades were set up in some areas.
The interior ministry estimated that about 410,000 people took part in Saturday's protests, while union organisers put the figure higher. President Emmanuel Macron has blamed far-left groups for stoking violence during the weekend protests, according to Al Jazeera, calling their actions "seditious" and accusing them of trying to "bring down the Republic". Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has backed prosecutions after protesters allegedly hurled incendiaries at police on Saturday, and prosecutors have launched an attempted murder investigation. Fourteen police officers were injured during the weekend protests, according to reports.
Unions point to a bigger day of action on November 5
Union representatives say their meeting with Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu did not result in concrete proposals, and they are now focusing on another big day of action scheduled for November 5, calling on private and public sector employees to join. The education demonstrations have morphed into continentwide mobilizations against cost-of-living increases, a lack of affordable housing and poor public services, with protests also reported in other European countries, including Germany.
Lee más en The Wire Post: French Students Call Black Day Tuesday as School Blockades Spread, Emmanuel Macron Faces a New Week of Protests Across France y Laurent Nunez Calls Molotov Attack on Police an Attempted Murder Probe.
Fuentes: BFMTV vía Nation, The Munich Eye, China Daily, Al Jazeera y Gulf Today, 3 de noviembre de 2026.