Tuesday, 3 November, was the last test before the strike of Thursday, 5 November. Students blocked schools again, and the SNCF tried to calm its railway workers with money. In the background, the justice system is starting to show how hard it intends to hit.
From the school gate to the police station
The blockades were smaller in some places. In Toulouse, the student movement had a "more moderate" dynamic on 3 November. In other cities the day ended somewhere new: outside police stations. In Rennes, nine people were arrested and placed in custody, and about a hundred people gathered outside the police station to support them. Le Havre saw the same thing. There, four high-school students were placed in custody, mostly for insulting officers. In Seine-Maritime as a whole, 13 people were arrested and three head teachers were targeted with fireworks and projectiles.
This is a familiar pattern in French protest movements. Once arrests become routine, the arrests themselves become the cause. A vigil outside a police station turns "the cost of living" into "free our classmates", a demand that is simpler and more emotional. The national figures explain why this is happening. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said that nearly 5,000 people have been held in custody and 329 jailed since 17 October.
Why €400 won't stop a train strike
The SNCF was also under pressure on 3 November. Its four representative unions had called the strike together, which is unusual. At the SNCF, UNSA and the CFDT often sign agreements that the CGT and SUD refuse. Management's answer was three purchasing-power measures, including a €400 value-sharing bonus. It also set the 2027 mandatory annual pay negotiations for January 2027.
The name of the bonus says a lot. The prime de partage de la valeur comes from the "Macron bonus", which was invented in late 2018 to calm the original Yellow Vests. It is a one-off payment with tax advantages. It does not count toward pensions, and it is gone the following year. That is why unions see it as the opposite of what they want. A bonus is a gift, while a pay rise is permanent. And by putting the pay talks, required by law every year, off until January, management made sure Thursday's strike is about pay.
"Attempted homicide": why the wording matters
The violence on 31 October now has a legal label. The Paris prosecutor opened an investigation for "attempted homicide of a person holding public authority" after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a gendarme near Porte de Charenton. The firebomb exploded at his feet and slightly injured him. No suspect had been arrested yet, but three people dressed in black, Black Bloc style, had been identified as possible attackers.
The wording is not just a figure of speech. Under French law, an attempt is punished like the crime itself. Killing a police officer or gendarme carries a life sentence. Calling the attack attempted homicide rather than "violence" moves the case to a criminal court. It also sends a clear message to anyone thinking of copying it.
And what is "six seven"?
Some organisers want to keep going after Thursday, with a "six seven" at the weekend, named after an expression young people use: protests on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November. "6-7" is the meaningless playground meme that spread around the world in 2025. Most adults still can't explain it, and the students seem to enjoy that.
Tuesday, 3 November, was the last test before the strike of Thursday, 5 November. Students blocked schools again, and the SNCF tried to calm its railway workers with money. In the background, the justice system is starting to show how hard it intends to hit.
From the school gate to the police station
The blockades were smaller in some places. In Toulouse, the student movement had a "more moderate" dynamic on 3 November. In other cities the day ended somewhere new: outside police stations. In Rennes, nine people were arrested and placed in custody, and about a hundred people gathered outside the police station to support them. Le Havre saw the same thing. There, four high-school students were placed in custody, mostly for insulting officers. In Seine-Maritime as a whole, 13 people were arrested and three head teachers were targeted with fireworks and projectiles.
This is a familiar pattern in French protest movements. Once arrests become routine, the arrests themselves become the cause. A vigil outside a police station turns "the cost of living" into "free our classmates", a demand that is simpler and more emotional. The national figures explain why this is happening. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said that nearly 5,000 people have been held in custody and 329 jailed since 17 October.
Why €400 won't stop a train strike
The SNCF was also under pressure on 3 November. Its four representative unions had called the strike together, which is unusual. At the SNCF, UNSA and the CFDT often sign agreements that the CGT and SUD refuse. Management's answer was three purchasing-power measures, including a €400 value-sharing bonus. It also set the 2027 mandatory annual pay negotiations for January 2027.
The name of the bonus says a lot. The prime de partage de la valeur comes from the "Macron bonus", which was invented in late 2018 to calm the original Yellow Vests. It is a one-off payment with tax advantages. It does not count toward pensions, and it is gone the following year. That is why unions see it as the opposite of what they want. A bonus is a gift, while a pay rise is permanent. And by putting the pay talks, required by law every year, off until January, management made sure Thursday's strike is about pay.
"Attempted homicide": why the wording matters
The violence on 31 October now has a legal label. The Paris prosecutor opened an investigation for "attempted homicide of a person holding public authority" after a Molotov cocktail was thrown at a gendarme near Porte de Charenton. The firebomb exploded at his feet and slightly injured him. No suspect had been arrested yet, but three people dressed in black, Black Bloc style, had been identified as possible attackers.
The wording is not just a figure of speech. Under French law, an attempt is punished like the crime itself. Killing a police officer or gendarme carries a life sentence. Calling the attack attempted homicide rather than "violence" moves the case to a criminal court. It also sends a clear message to anyone thinking of copying it.
And what is "six seven"?
Some organisers want to keep going after Thursday, with a "six seven" at the weekend, named after an expression young people use: protests on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 November. "6-7" is the meaningless playground meme that spread around the world in 2025. Most adults still can't explain it, and the students seem to enjoy that.
Sources