Demonstrations entered their fifth consecutive day, with about 200 high schools remaining blockaded.
On Tuesday morning, Greta Thunberg visited the Paul-Eluard High School in Saint-Denis, one of the main centers of student protests in France, before joining demonstrations scheduled for that afternoon in Paris.
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The 23-year-old Swedish climate activist arrived at the school on the outskirts of Paris, where she said she was “extremely proud of French students” who are mobilizing “for their future” and refusing to give up in the face of a society that neglects them.
“Here we can see it: Schools are not receiving the investment they need. This sends young people the message that they are not a priority in their society. And what are we supposed to do? Give up? Of course not. And that is precisely what people here are doing. We are going to fight for our future.”
For the Swedish activist, the mobilization of young people “is a great source of inspiration,” “but it was also something to be expected.”
Swedish activist Greta Thunberg has joined French students protesting on the outskirts of Paris about staff shortages and dilapidated schools.
In the capital, high school students are blockading streets as they demand concrete measures to improve conditions.
The government… pic.twitter.com/9m5uPFa8tG
— Channel 4 News (@Channel4News) October 13, 2026
“When young people are placed in conditions that are incompatible with basic human rights because there is not enough investment in education, it is obvious that they are going to rebel,” Thunberg said. She added that politicians live “in a completely different reality” from that of younger generations.
Thunberg denounced what she described as the French police’s “extreme violence” against students demonstrating to demand “the absolute bare minimum.” “This says everything about the police and whom they really protect. Law enforcement is supposed to protect young people,” she insisted.
“We are glad that as many people as possible are joining us. This is not about labels or any particular person, but about how many people join the movement,” said Marius Mesnil, co-secretary of the Union Syndicale des Lyceens (USL), an organization that brings together high school students.
Les cortèges de lycéens et étudiants se regroupent place de l’Hôtel de Ville à Paris pic.twitter.com/hPgzZeSKa7
— AB7 Média (@Ab7Media) October 13, 2026
The text reads, “Columns of high school and university students are gathering in the square in front of Paris City Hall.”
In Paris, the main demonstration is scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. local time at Italy Square and end at Place des Invalides, near Matignon, where the government headquarters and the Education Ministry are located.
On Tuesday, French students took to the streets for the fifth consecutive day of demonstrations. The protests come as about 200 high schools remain blockaded, according to Education Minister Edouard Geffray.
The student union has called on students to join the protest under the slogan “They don’t listen to us, so we’ll go to them.” Dubbed “Act V,” the demonstration follows four previous days of protests held on Sept. 29 and Oct. 1, 6 and 8.
teleSUR/ JF
Source: EFE
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