Students protesters hold placards as they gather for a blockade at the IUT Bordeaux Montaigne university institute of technology in Bordeaux, on October 8, 2026, as part of a nationwide protest movement over learning conditions. Since late September, pupils have barred the entrances to hundreds of schools, complaining of teacher absences, overloaded timetables, dilapidated classrooms and buildings ill-adapted to rising temperatures, among other grievances. (Photo by Philippe LOPEZ / AFP via Getty Images)