French pupils resume school blockades as country braces for more protests

Tuguldur Munkh-Ochir — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 04:16:56 +0000

Dozens of high schools across France were blockaded again on Monday as the government braced for another tense week of protests over school conditions and the high cost of living.

The protests come amid warnings that weeks without lessons are putting some pupils’ school year and final exams at risk.

As children returned after the two-week school holiday, students’ unions ignored Emmanuel Macron’s call to end the lycée blockades, which have been running since September and have prompted one of the biggest protest movements and social crises of his presidency.

From early morning in Paris and its suburbs, as well as in cities including Lille, Toulouse and Marseille, schoolchildren demanding more replacement teachers and repairs to buildings barricaded school entrances with wheelie bins. Police officers outside some schools attempted to drag the bins away and made arrests.

Dozens of high schools across France were blockaded again on Monday as the government braced for another tense week of protests over school conditions and the high cost of living.

The protests come amid warnings that weeks without lessons are putting some pupils’ school year and final exams at risk.

Democrats win control of US House and take first Texas Senate seat in decades

Tuguldur Munkh-Ochir — Wed, 04 Nov 2026 04:13:12 +0000

Texas Democrats have been hoping to turn the state blue for decades and decades.

Every time, they may come close but they never get over the hump.

It's difficult to overstate how atrophied the Democratic Party had become because of all these losses, they were really hopeless for a number of years.

But when I was in Texas just last week talking to Democrats, they felt that this time was different, that Talarico had the potential.

They thought this because of the political wins on Talarico's back, because Republican nominee Ken Paxton was - in their view - a flawed, scandal-ridden candidate, but also that something fundamental had changed among Texas voters, that this would be when they would break through.

Lo and behold, it turned out that way.

I don't think there were very many Texas Democrats who were willing to fully admit it up until just now, but this has been taking shape for a while.

DEV Community: Tuguldur Munkh-Ochir

French pupils resume school blockades as country braces for more protests

Democrats win control of US House and take first Texas Senate seat in decades