Paris: Protests over Living Costs and Education

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Documentary photo essay · Paris · November 2026

Paris: Protests over Living Costs and Education

Trade unions, students and school pupils took to the streets in November 2026 to demand higher pay, stronger public services and better access to education.

Demonstrators hold a French flag and a handwritten sign in front of police vans in Paris. November 2026.
Demonstrators hold a French flag and a handwritten sign in front of police vans in Paris. November 2026.Photograph by Laurin Strele
Paris, France
November 2026

Photographs by Laurin Strele

In November 2026, demonstrations in Paris brought together workers, students and school pupils over the cost of living, wages and the future of public education. The mobilisations were part of a nationwide wave of protests that had gathered pace through October.

Trade unions called for higher wages and pensions, more resources for public services and changes to the government’s proposed state and social-security budgets for 2027. The CGT argued that the plans shifted the burden onto employees, pensioners and people relying on social protection, while demanding pay and benefits that kept pace with prices.

Education was a second focus. The student union UNEF sought more places in higher education, grants indexed to inflation and protection for housing assistance. Education unions called for additional teachers and support staff, better pay and investment in school buildings. These demands linked the immediate pressure of rent and daily expenses with access to education and public support.

On 7 November, one of the movement’s Paris marches followed the route from Place de la République to Place de la Nation. Le Parisien reported that the main procession was largely peaceful, with confrontations developing around Nation and Boulevard Voltaire during dispersal. Its reporters witnessed police charges and the use of tear gas.

The photographs follow the demonstrations from daylight into night: flags and flares, police lines and confrontations, people being restrained and medics attending to someone on the road. They record the human encounters within a broader dispute over living standards, education and government spending.

Context sources: CGT mobilisation call · CGT Éduc’action · Le Parisien, 7 November 2026.

Demonstrators sit on a red container beneath a Palestinian flag during a protest in Paris. November 2026.
Demonstrators sit on a red container beneath a Palestinian flag during a protest in Paris. November 2026.
A demonstrator in an animal costume holds red flares amid smoke during a protest in Paris. November 2026.
A demonstrator in an animal costume holds red flares amid smoke during a protest in Paris. November 2026.
Helmeted riot police stand with shields in a line along a Paris boulevard. November 2026.
Helmeted riot police stand with shields in a line along a Paris boulevard. November 2026.
Riot police run forward carrying batons during a protest in Paris. November 2026.
Riot police run forward carrying batons during a protest in Paris. November 2026.
Police officers restrain a person in a red hood on the road during a Paris protest. November 2026.
Police officers restrain a person in a red hood on the road during a Paris protest. November 2026.
Riot police face a tightly packed group beside a building at night in Paris. November 2026.
Riot police face a tightly packed group beside a building at night in Paris. November 2026.
Riot police run across a tree-lined square at night in Paris. November 2026.
Riot police run across a tree-lined square at night in Paris. November 2026.
Demonstrators with French flags sit in the road facing a police line at night in Paris. November 2026.
Demonstrators with French flags sit in the road facing a police line at night in Paris. November 2026.
A riot police officer stands with a shield in dense smoke illuminated by blue emergency lights in Paris. November 2026.
A riot police officer stands with a shield in dense smoke illuminated by blue emergency lights in Paris. November 2026.
A person stands at an illuminated bus shelter as smoke drifts across the street in Paris. November 2026.
A person stands at an illuminated bus shelter as smoke drifts across the street in Paris. November 2026.
Smoke rises from a canister beside overturned metal barriers and closed shops in Paris at night. November 2026.
Smoke rises from a canister beside overturned metal barriers and closed shops in Paris at night. November 2026.
Riot police stand along a Paris boulevard beneath streetlights and drifting smoke. November 2026.
Riot police stand along a Paris boulevard beneath streetlights and drifting smoke. November 2026.
A woman sits behind the glass of a café terrace while riot police pass outside in Paris. November 2026.
A woman sits behind the glass of a café terrace while riot police pass outside in Paris. November 2026.
Fire burns behind riot police as green light falls across a shield during a Paris protest. November 2026.
Fire burns behind riot police as green light falls across a shield during a Paris protest. November 2026.
A person lies on the road surrounded by police officers at night in Paris. November 2026.
A person lies on the road surrounded by police officers at night in Paris. November 2026.
Medics attend to a person lying on the ground under red light in Paris. November 2026.
Medics attend to a person lying on the ground under red light in Paris. November 2026.
Riot police in blue helmets pause beside trees at night in Paris. November 2026.
Riot police in blue helmets pause beside trees at night in Paris. November 2026.
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