October 7, 2026 - PBS News Hour full episode

Protests are continuing in France a day after more than 250,000 people took to the streets across the country to demand education reforms.

Demonstrations began in mid-September, fueled by frustrations over classroom sizes and poor building conditions.

Nearly 500 people were arrested Tuesday, bringing the total to more than 6,000 since the start of the protests.

Special correspondent William Denslow reports from Paris.

[firecrackers] Anger on the streets of Paris as demonstrators led by high school students continue to give French authorities a failing grade.

National education is really catastrophic.

Personally, in my high school, the roofs are open, there's no heating, the desks are broken, so we work in really precarious conditions.

The building, the school, and the system, uh, we want to change.

The government says demonstrations have been hijacked by outside groups, leading to urban violence.

Several hundred teenagers have been injured, prompting authorities to suspend the use of stun grenades.

A boy whose mouth is completely destroyed, et cetera, et cetera.

And many more things, and it's just horrible to see, especially when it's kids who are just trying to fight for their rights.

A right to a better education.

France tops the list for average class sizes in Europe, with roughly 25 to a class in public schools from ages 11 to 15.

Responding to the recent protests, the government promised to make visible changes to the nation's schools.

We must do more and better, notably for high schools.

And so the prime minister has entrusted us with a number of initiatives.

Initiatives like addressing class cancellations by replacing absent teachers.

But that requires substantial investment.

No easy task, as French public debt hit roughly $4 trillion in June, soaring to 119% of GDP.

That's the highest level since 1946, after the destruction of World War II.

Times are difficult with oil prices rising.

So it's, it's a, a really difficult moment, uh, for the government in France now bec- because they have to face these real problems with very rapidly shrinking means.

For demonstrators, the message is clear: lawmakers must find a solution.

Trade unions joined Tuesday's demonstrations in solidarity with the student movement.

Protests are continuing in France a day after more than 250,000 people took to the streets across the country to demand education reforms.

Demonstrations began in mid-September, fueled by frustrations over classroom sizes and poor building conditions.

Nearly 500 people were arrested Tuesday, bringing the total to more than 6,000 since the start of the protests.

Special correspondent William Denslow reports from Paris.

[firecrackers] Anger on the streets of Paris as demonstrators led by high school students continue to give French authorities a failing grade.

National education is really catastrophic.

Personally, in my high school, the roofs are open, there's no heating, the desks are broken, so we work in really precarious conditions.

The building, the school, and the system, uh, we want to change.

The government says demonstrations have been hijacked by outside groups, leading to urban violence.

Several hundred teenagers have been injured, prompting authorities to suspend the use of stun grenades.

A boy whose mouth is completely destroyed, et cetera, et cetera.

And many more things, and it's just horrible to see, especially when it's kids who are just trying to fight for their rights.

A right to a better education.

France tops the list for average class sizes in Europe, with roughly 25 to a class in public schools from ages 11 to 15.

Responding to the recent protests, the government promised to make visible changes to the nation's schools.

We must do more and better, notably for high schools.

And so the prime minister has entrusted us with a number of initiatives.

Initiatives like addressing class cancellations by replacing absent teachers.

But that requires substantial investment.

No easy task, as French public debt hit roughly $4 trillion in June, soaring to 119% of GDP.

That's the highest level since 1946, after the destruction of World War II.

Times are difficult with oil prices rising.

So it's, it's a, a really difficult moment, uh, for the government in France now bec- because they have to face these real problems with very rapidly shrinking means.

For demonstrators, the message is clear: lawmakers must find a solution.

Trade unions joined Tuesday's demonstrations in solidarity with the student movement.