Thunberg arrives at the Paul Eluard secondary school at the heart of the movement in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis. Posted on October 13, 2026 October 13, 2026 Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has joined French student protests as more demonstrations calling for better conditions in educational facilities are expected across the country. Thunberg arrived at the Paul Eluard secondary school at the heart of the movement in the Paris suburb of Saint-Denis on Tuesday morning and stood among the students. Demonstrating.Recommended stories list of 3 itemsend of list”Young people are not being included in the conversation. They are stealing our future,” Thunberg told the AFP news agency. system. Students have piled up bins and erected safety barriers outside hundreds of schools across the country. Last Thursday, more than 70,000 people took to the streets in the latest major protest event. Tuesday’s demonstration, backed by unions and a left-wing opposition party, France Insoumise, included a march through Paris and marches in other cities. Pupils gathered outside several schools in the morning, brandishing banners and megaphones and chanting slogans, and marches were planned later in the day. The university students’ union, l’Union, said in X: “They don’t listen to us, so we go to them.” Education Minister Edouard Geffray said on France Inter on Tuesday morning that about 200 schools were closed, “fewer than last week,” adding that some routes near the protest were closed. closing to prevent damage. Protesters hold banners and banners during a demonstration by high school students in Toulouse, southwestern France, on October 13, 2026. [AFP]The Ministry of National Education also stated that eight teaching staff were injured on Monday, mainly in the Paris region and the cities of Bordeaux and Lyon, due to the protests. On Monday, Leo, a 19-year-old graphic design student in Paris, told AFP that “students are not listened to enough… nor are their proposals to authorities and elected officials.” The support for students is expected to be followed on Saturday by wider public demonstrations against the rising cost of living. On Monday, French President Emmanuel Macron told reporters at a car show that he urged protesters to exercise restraint. “These are issues that deserve time, consultation, discussion and respect,” Macron said. According to the Ministry of Justice, more than 6,800 people, mostly minors, have been detained by the police during the protests. Police have also opened investigations into 24 complaints of brutality against protesters.
