Bystanders set on fire and hands blown off by grenades as France struggles to suppress violent student riots

Published October 5, 2026 12:53pm ET



The French government is working to meet the demands of student rioters as the dayslong violence continues to roll across the Paris region, resulting in a cavalcade of injuries and arrests.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu is promising an increase in the national education budget and collaboration with student leaders to address the perceived insufficiencies in the school system that ostensibly sparked the riots. This includes better staffing, renovations on dilapidated facilities, and reforms to classroom scheduling. But these promises have done little to curb the violent unrest in the streets.

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