The day of strikes and demonstrations in France on September 29, led by firefighters protesting cuts to public services, took place two days before the government announced its draft budget for 2027. Hundreds of thousands demonstrated across the country. They were joined by a force whose participation no one had expected just two weeks earlier: high school students who blockaded their schools and took to the streets. Police arrested over 400 high school students in just one day.

The day after the September 29 strike, Gazete Nisan spoke with Fred Bailhau, an activist from Gironde and a member of the executive committee of NPA Jeunes Révolutionnaires, the youth wing of the New Anticapitalist Party – Revolutionary. We discussed the mobilization in France, budget cuts, the high school student movement, trade unions and the French left. We are sharing the interview with our readers in installments. In this first part, we address the process leading up to September 29 and the mobilization of high school students.

The interview continues in Part 2, which focuses on trade unions, wage struggles and strike committees.

Interview conducted by Baran Mihaliç.

Nisan: We witnessed a major strike and demonstration in Bordeaux recently. The large turnout of high school students was particularly striking. Can you summarize the process leading up to this day of action and the involvement of high school students?

Fred Bailhau: The September 29 mobilization began with a call from firefighters. While firefighters formed one of the main pillars of the movement, many public-sector workers, and even some private sector employees, also participated. We worked to organize universities leading up to September 29. However, what was truly surprising was the large turnout of high school students.

The movement in high schools developed in a completely unpredictable manner. No one expected such an event two weeks prior. September 29 was not planned as a youth or student mobilization. But the process brought us to a point where the high school students' mobilization merged with the strike.

Nisan: What prompted the firefighters to strike, and what were their demands? We heard that some firefighters lost their lives in recent forest fires. Did this have an impact?

Fred Bailhau: Firefighters have faced massive budget cuts in recent years. The government cut billions of euros from the public budget two years ago, and the firefighting budget was also affected by this. Firefighters faced severe shortages of equipment and staff.

There is an example that particularly angers experienced firefighters. In forest fires, Canadian-made firefighting aircraft, which we call Canadairs are used. The French state was supposed to have 12 Canadairs, but only four of them were usable. So the state had only four Canadairs to fight fires. The planes are old, perhaps 30 years old; they do not work and constantly need maintenance. [i]

On the other hand, Dassault, a company historically very close to the French state, produces fighter jets. The French state owns hundreds of Rafale fighter jets produced by Dassault, and these planes are also sold to Saudi Arabia, India, and many dictatorships. While Dassault produces new Rafales every month, the state cannot maintain enough Canadairs. [ii]

In other words, social spending is cut while money goes to the military and large companies.

According to the report of the Senate investigation committee, the French state provides 211 billion euros in public support to companies annually. [iii]

Of course, as leftists, we pay close attention to military spending, but the money the state gives to large companies is even greater.

The third element is debt. Politicians say that the state's debt needs to be repaid. France's debt is enormous [iv]

and they want to repay it with cuts in social spending. The state allocates huge amounts of money to debt repayment.

Nisan: Can we say that the budget issue is also at the center of the political crisis in France?

Fred Bailhau: Yes. The first round of cuts came two years ago. Last year, the government could not pass its budget because it was in the minority in parliament. After months of discussions and prime ministers being dismissed one after another - we can say we saw four prime ministers in a year - the government finally managed to pass its budget with the support of the Socialist Party and the far right.

This year's budget also foresees a cut of about 50 billion euros, and the cuts fall on social spending: hospitals, universities, schools and firefighting... This may seem like a small amount compared to the over 200 billion given to large companies by the state, but it corresponds to a very large amount in the lives of workers. September 29 was also exactly about these cuts: cuts affecting firefighters, teachers and public services as a whole...

"The high school student movement is linked to the rejection of what society imposes on them"

Nisan: The most striking aspect of the movement was the high schools. What are the main reasons and demands behind this strong participation of the high schools?

Fred Bailhau: There was anger against budget cuts and the rising cost of living, and the high school student movement broke out at the last moment. Therefore, it is difficult to describe the clear demands of the movement. I think this reflects students’ refusal to accept what society imposes on them today. A significant part of those joining the movement come from working-class families. There are also high school students from petty bourgeois backgrounds participating in the struggle, and that is a good thing.

One of the demands we heard was against school days extending from 8 in the morning to 6 in the evening. This is a very long day, and there are large gaps between lessons. Additionally, increasingly authoritarian rules are being imposed. One of these is the ban on mobile phones: now you have to hand over your phone when entering the classroom, and if the teacher sees you with a phone, they can take it from you. But what we heard most was that in high schools in working-class neighborhoods, even tables and chairs are not enough. Classes are very crowded.

Nisan: Do high school students experience the effects of budget cuts directly at school? What shortages do they face?

Fred Bailhau: Absolutely. In addition to lack of space, there is a huge shortage of staff. In a high school with 2,000 students, there is only one nurse, and she is not always there. There are no psychologists, there are not enough teachers.

Because salaries are very low, fewer and fewer people are choosing to become teachers. The government was forced to reduce the training period required to become a teacher from five years to three last year to increase the number of teachers. Nevertheless, wages are so low that teachers have effectively become precarious workers. As the number of teachers decreases, teaching becomes even more difficult, which drives even more people away from the profession.

There is also this: Many high school students, especially those from the working class, chant slogans like "Free Palestine" during actions and say they hate Netanyahu.

Nisan: We also observed these slogans and banners. High school students are demanding the reversal of budget cuts and an increase in social spending. On the other hand, these cuts are directly linked to increased military spending and war policies. Do you think that the vast majority of workers and high school students are aware that the money cut from them is being transferred to military spending and corporations?

Fred Bailhau: No, I don't think so. For example, there is a movement against conscription among high school students in Germany, but not in France. I don't think that high school students’ chants of "Free Palestine" implies opposition to the military budget. Many workers and some high school students do not see an increase in the military budget as something bad. Opposing the army is a minority stance in French society.

However, there are examples. Last year, high school students gathered in Marseille and organized a demonstration against the military budget. In French slang, the word "canon" means "very cool," but it also means "cannon." The high school students in Marseille used the slogan: "Our teachers are very cool, but the state's cannons are not our teachers."

In general, people say that the government is bad because it manages the budget badly. I don't think this is a matter of management. Giving money to capitalists and the army is a political and social choice! The budget is managed very well for capitalists! But many people think Macron is a bad manager, and this may be strengthening the far right. The far right says "We will manage the budget cuts well," which is certainly a lie.

In addition, high school students tend to be against military discipline. We also try to highlight this point when we talk with high school students. Some high school students can say "We need to defend ourselves," but they hate military discipline, which is good. We also tell them that if we want to defend ourselves, it won't be with the army. The French army essentially defends capitalist interests outside the country.

"The real surprise that changed the situation was the mobilization of high school students"

Nisan: How did September 29 go? Was it an effective strike? What was the situation in Bordeaux and other cities?

Fred Bailhau: I think it was a big day. There were about 8,000 people in Bordeaux, perhaps 800 of whom were high school students. For a city like Bordeaux, that is a substantial turnout, though it could have been larger. Most of the firefighters who wanted to join the strike went to the action in Paris, so there were very few firefighters in Bordeaux. The picture was similar in other cities.

If we consider that most unions did not make real preparations for the strike, the number of strikers was quite good. There were many young people at the demonstrations. The real surprise that changed the situation was the mobilization of high school students. We cannot mobilize as many people in universities to the same extent.

Nisan: We heard that the police used considerable violence against high school students and some students were hospitalized. Do you think this also affected the struggle?

Fred Bailhau: I think this was an attempt to deter high school students, but it certainly failed.

Editorial notes

[i] The average age of the 12 Canadair CL-415 aircraft in the French Civil Security fleet is approaching 30. During the peak fire season in summer 2026, only 5 aircraft were available from the fleet on July 24. (ed.n.)

[ii] Dassault Aviation aims to deliver approximately 28 Rafale aircraft in 2026, averaging three aircraft per month; it plans to increase production to five aircraft per month by 2030. (ed.n.)

[iii] The report published on July 8, 2025, by the Senate's inquiry commission on public support calculated the annual amount of public funds transferred to companies through more than 2,000 support mechanisms as 211 billion euros. (ed.n.)

[iv] France's public debt has exceeded 3.3 trillion euros as of 2025. (ed.n.)