Students in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, continued their blockade outside the Lycée Paul-Éluard on Tuesday, joining a nationwide school strike day to denounce French government education cuts, teacher and staff shortages, overcrowded classrooms, and crumbling infrastructure. Saint-Denis students have faced a heavy-handed police response since the blockade there began on September 25, when officers used tear gas and arrested three minors outside Lycée Paul-Éluard, a response local officials and school staff described as disproportionate. Tuesday’s nationwide call for blockades came from the Union syndicale lycéenne, and was timed to coincide with a strike day across France’s public sector, as unions representing state, local government, and hospital workers protested a salary freeze and austerity in the 2027 budget. Student unions are calling for a major national demonstration on October 6.

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