French student unions and high school representatives have called for a nationwide protest on Oct 6, expanding a movement that now includes university students, firefighters, and civil servants. The unrest, which started on Sept 21 and has spread into neighboring Belgium, consists of campus blockades and violent clashes between protesters and security forces over overcrowded classrooms and teacher shortages.

Police have detained nearly 2,000 people, and the movement has impacted more than 400 schools through arson and blockades. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu organized a crisis meeting and ordered ministers to cancel travel to prioritize containment as disorder grew to include an attempted torching of the Bordeaux city hall and over 200 injuries. Marine Le Pen has accused the far-left La France Insoumise party of coordinating the riots, while the party has described the government response as repressive.