Yellow Vests return to France as students and pupils call to join Saturday protest

Student and high‑school organisations in France called on Friday for a renewed mobilisation to join the Yellow Vests’ Saturday demonstration, saying they will not withdraw any of their demands.

Riad Rani, president of the Union of High School Students (USL), urged peers to turn out during a student march in Paris: "We will not give up and we will not make compromises. We invite everyone to join the Yellow Vests movement on Saturday to finally revive this struggle."

Campus closures and nationwide school demonstrations

The appeal comes as the student movement says it has entered a fifth wave of action, with campus occupations and blockades spreading across the country. The student union claims that 90 percent of higher‑education faculties are currently blocked or administratively closed.

Sofi Venitetej, general secretary of the Snes‑FSU education union, added: "On Saturday, wherever our demands are presented, we will be present." Major youth organisations have also been pressing for a meeting with Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu.

Official figures published by the Ministry of the Interior reported that 360 demonstrations took place in front of schools nationwide, gathering roughly 30,000 people, while some 21,000 demonstrators had already taken part in marches by midday. The Ministry of Higher Education counts institutions affected by blockades, occupations or administrative closures in its tally of disruptions.

Organisers hope the Saturday turnout — bolstered by high‑schoolers and university students — will put additional pressure on the government to address funding and staffing demands for schools and higher education.

Photo: press material from the event