Munich students hold peaceful rally in support of French school protests
Monday 19th October 2026 on 18:45 in
Bavaria
About 50 students from a French-German school in Munich held a peaceful rally outside the French Consulate General on Monday to support student protests in France, BR reported.
The students, from the Lycée Français Jean Renoir, marched from their school to the consulate on Heimeranstraße. Around 30 police officers accompanied them. The rally came after violent clashes and looting in France over the weekend, when 2,300 people were taken into police custody nationwide. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced local curfews.
Axel Damoizeau, a 16-year-old student at the school, said demonstrators’ demands were understandable and legitimate, but should be distinguished from violence, which he said was largely committed by rioters. He said the French government had not listened to student protesters or the public, citing protests against pension reform three years ago. He added that this did not justify violence.
The Lycée Français Jean Renoir follows the French education ministry’s curriculum and is part of the French Agency for French Education Abroad network. It is a private school, with upper-secondary tuition of up to 7,865 euros per student per school year and a 1,000-euro registration fee.
Another 16-year-old student, Sef Singh Francois, said he had concerns about his own school, including its timetable, the amount of food served in the cafeteria and how its money was spent. He said the demonstration was also intended to support students in France.
Damoizeau and a fellow student met with a consul general and a secretary at the consulate to discuss admissions and learning conditions at the school. He declined to give details of the meeting, but said they were told their concerns would be passed to the French Embassy, which could then relay them to the French government.
Bavaria’s state student representative, Jana Bäuerlein, said the state was better placed than France, but its school system was still far from perfect. She pointed to inadequate digital equipment, too few teachers and the need for more psychosocial support for students experiencing mental health problems.