School and university blockades, 5 November strike: Paris police ban the student march
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- According to the ministry, 41 of about 3,700 lycées were blocked on 2 November; the USL counts about four times as many.
- On Thursday 5 November almost all unions call for a national strike and march.
- Paris police banned the 3 November student march; the collective plans to go to the administrative court.
In this article
What has changed since 2 November
Our previous article reported the calls for blockades at the start of the new term. According to an AFP dispatch carried by France 24 on 3 November, the Ministry of Education counted 41 blocked lycées on Monday out of about 3,700; the Union syndicale lycéenne counts about four times as many. The government reports “disruptions” in about 15% of higher-education institutions. The organisations call for massive blockades on Tuesday 3 November, then to join the interprofessional strike and demonstration on Thursday 5 November.
The strike of Thursday 5 November
According to AFP, almost all unions are calling on private- and public-sector employees to strike and demonstrate on 5 November. It would be the first day since the start of term when private-sector workers, civil servants and retirees march together; students and lycéens plan to join them. As of 3 November, the Paris route had not been approved by the authorities. CGT general secretary Sophie Binet criticised this lack of planning, saying it is “not serious” to work in these conditions.
The march banned in Paris
According to France 24 (2 November), the Paris police prefecture banned the march that the Interfac Île-de-France collective planned for 3 November from the Panthéon to the Medef headquarters. It cites the route’s incompatibility with security requirements in a very tense social climate, as well as the Panthéon’s tourist traffic, and proposes a route on the outskirts, between Porte de Charenton and Porte de Montreuil. The collective denounces “a general ban on demonstrating in Paris” and intends to go to the administrative court. On 22 October that court had urgently suspended the ban on another march by the collective.
The government’s response and points not verified
Last week the government announced the gradual replacement of Parcoursup by 2028, the cancellation of job cuts, 500 additional posts, a maximum of 28 pupils per class in seconde and 15,000 additional places in higher education. The youth organisations see a “first step” that is not enough. The actual number of establishments blocked on 3 November and the administrative court’s decision could not be verified here.
Learn the grammar
French grammar
Learn sentence patterns and usage from the article’s own sentences.
01The present of être
est / sont + complement
La secrétaire générale de la CGT, Sophie Binet, a critiqué ce manque d’anticipation, jugeant qu’il n’est « pas sérieux » de travailler dans ces conditions.Key pointsEst is third-person singular and sont third-person plural of être. They express “is / are” — a state or description. If a past participle follows, it is a different structure such as the passive, so check the words that follow.
02The passé composé
present of avoir + past participle
Selon une dépêche AFP diffusée par France 24 le 3 novembre, le ministère de l’Éducation a recensé 41 lycées bloqués lundi sur environ 3 700 ; l’Union syndicale lycéenne en dénombre environ quatre fois plus.Key pointsThe passé composé is the most common past tense, used for “did” and “has done” — actions completed in the past. It is formed with the auxiliary avoir (a / ont…) in the present + a past participle. Past participles of -er verbs end in -é (annoncer → annoncé); learn the irregular ones (faire → fait, prendre → pris, voir → vu). In the negative, ne … pas wraps the auxiliary (n’a pas annoncé). In the news it reports facts that have already happened, such as “announced” or “voted”.
03The imparfait
stem (nous form of the present) + -ais / -ait / -ions / -iez / -aient
Le 22 octobre, ce tribunal avait suspendu en urgence l’interdiction d’une autre marche du collectif.Key pointsThe imparfait describes states, background, habits and actions in progress in the past (il était, elle avait, ils pensaient). Take the nous form of the present, drop -ons, and add -ais / -ais / -ait / -ions / -iez / -aient. If the passé composé gives “the event itself”, the imparfait paints “the situation at the time”.
04The present conditional
stem (infinitive) + -ais / -ait / -ions / -iez / -aient
Ce serait la première journée depuis la rentrée où salariés du privé, fonctionnaires et retraités défilent ensemble ; les étudiants et lycéens comptent s’y joindre.Key pointsThe conditional expresses possibility, supposition, unconfirmed information and polite requests (“would”, “might”). It uses the same stem as the future and the same endings as the imparfait (-ais, -ait, -ions, -iez, -aient): pouvoir → il pourrait. In the news it is used to avoid asserting, as in “is reported to…” or “there is a possibility…”.
05The passive voice in the present
être (est / sont) + past participle (+ par / de)
Au 3 novembre, le parcours parisien n’était pas validé par les autorités.Key pointsThe passive means “is done” or “is being done”. It is formed with être + past participle, which agrees with the subject in gender and number (la mesure est adoptée / les mesures sont adoptées). The agent is introduced by par (or de). In the news it is common when the event, rather than the actor, is the focus (est prévu / est annoncé / est connu).
06Negation and its scope
ne / n’ … pas · ne … plus
La secrétaire générale de la CGT, Sophie Binet, a critiqué ce manque d’anticipation, jugeant qu’il n’est « pas sérieux » de travailler dans ces conditions.Key pointsNormally ne and pas wrap the verb. Before a vowel, ne becomes n’. Check which part of the sentence the negation covers. Ne … plus means “no longer”.
07Citing a source with selon
selon + noun / organisation
Selon une dépêche AFP diffusée par France 24 le 3 novembre, le ministère de l’Éducation a recensé 41 lycées bloqués lundi sur environ 3 700 ; l’Union syndicale lycéenne en dénombre environ quatre fois plus.Key pointsSelon means “according to”. Put a person or organisation after it as the source. It separates facts the writer checked directly from what another body or report said. Citing a source does not turn a forecast into an accomplished fact.
08Dates and their prepositions
le + 日付 / du … au …
Un jour après notre précédent article : le bilan des blocages de lundi, l’appel à la grève du 5 novembre et l’interdiction d’une marche étudiante à Paris.Key pointsLe 15 octobre means “on 15 October”. Distinguish the le before a date from the le that marks a weekly habit like a weekday. Du is de + le and au is à + le, so decide the meaning from the verb and period expressions around them. Their role depends on the group: a range of dates, the date of a bulletin or another complement.
09Marking a starting point
dès / depuis / à partir de + point in time
Ce serait la première journée depuis la rentrée où salariés du privé, fonctionnaires et retraités défilent ensemble ; les étudiants et lycéens comptent s’y joindre.Key pointsDès means “as early as” or “as soon as”, and à partir de means “from … onwards”. Depuis basically shows a state or period continuing from a point in time. All deal with a start, but they are not used the same way.
Japanese grammar
Understand the structure and usage from the text.
01Citing a source: によると
noun + によると
AFP通信が3日にFrance 24で配信した記事によると、教育省の数字では、2日に封鎖された高校は約3,700校のうち41校でした。Key pointsAs in “LCPによると”, it shows where the information comes from. What that source reported follows. It is used differently from “私にとって”, which gives one’s own opinion.
02Plan, outlook and policy
〜の予定 / 〜見込み / 〜方針
団体は、3日（火）にさらに大きな封鎖を呼びかけ、5日（木）の全国ストと行進に合流する方針です。Key points予定 is a plan, 見込み a forecast and 方針 a course of action or intention. None of them asserts that something has already been carried out. Note the difference from expressions such as “決まりました”.
03Polite negation and plain form
〜ではありません / 〜ではない
CGTのソフィー・ビネ（Sophie Binet）書記長は、事前の準備が不足していて「まともではない」と批判しています。Key pointsThey negate a noun and similar content. “ではありません” is the polite form and “ではない” the plain form. “成立ではありません” shows that it cannot be said to have been concluded.
04The polite past ました
verb stem (連用形) + ました
2日の記事から1日たち、封鎖の規模、5日の全国ストの呼びかけ、パリの行進禁止という新しい動きが出ました。Key pointsIn “発表しました”, ました makes a verb polite past. The negative is “ませんでした”. Read the actual date together with the date and time in the text.
05Quoting with と: content and report
plain-form sentence + と + verbe de parole (報じる, 説明する…)
政府は高等教育機関の約15％で「混乱」があったとしています。Key pointsと takes the content that is reported or explained. In “改定する方針だと報じました”, “改定する方針だ” is what the report said. Separating the content from who said it and how makes long sentences easier to read.
06Possibility in Japanese: できる・られる
verb potential form / 〜ことができる
3日の封鎖の実際の数や、行政裁判所の判断は、ここでは確認できませんでした。Key pointsできる is the basic verb for ability. The potential form of 受ける is 受けられる. The same られる can also be passive or honorific, so decide from the meaning of the sentence.