Around 300 Berlin Students Rally at French Gymnasium in Solidarity with French Youth Protests

Published October 18, 2026, taz reported that approximately 300 people gathered outside the Französisches Gymnasium in Berlin-Schöneberg on Saturday, October 18, in solidarity with simultaneous student protests across France, where an estimated 800,000 people marched. French students' demands included reduction of excessive school hours, changes to university admissions via the Parcoursup platform, and language-exam reforms. The Berlin event was organised by Berlin Insoumise, the local branch of France's La France Insoumise party. Berlin students added their own demands — opposition to military conscription and against police repression at climate demonstrations. They framed the movement as part of a system that 'increasingly takes away our desire to learn.' The event followed Berlin school blockades two days earlier. European youth organisations had called for an international protest day on November 20, 2026.