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Omar Sy has publicly backed the wave of high school protests across France, condemning what he called an increasingly authoritarian response that has left one teenager maimed and more than 6,000 young people held in temporary custody. The actor said the demonstrations point to deeper social anxieties and warned adults are failing to listen to a generation demanding change.
Sy: students are signaling the country’s future
Speaking on France Inter, Sy described the pupil-led movement as a “small beacon of light,” and urged authorities to treat students’ demands as serious civic engagement rather than a problem to be silenced. He criticized the reflex to punish or divide young protesters and asked pointedly where the responsible adults are when the country’s future is being debated.
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Sy framed the protests as a clear message from young people who feel entitled to shape the nation they will inherit. He said it is not enough to expect students to reach compromise without first listening to their concerns.
Why the protests began — and how they spread
What began in late September as demonstrations over staff shortages and deteriorating school facilities has broadened into a wider expression of discontent. Commentators link the unrest to the cost of living crisis and anxieties about job security as artificial intelligence reshapes the labor market.
High school pupils initially led the action, but teachers, university students and trade unions have joined. A major nationwide mobilisation is scheduled for Saturday, with organizers and analysts expecting support from the **“yellow vest”** movement and forecasts that **more than half a million** people may turn out.
The protests have also prompted a heavy-handed police response: one teenager lost a hand in clashes, and authorities have placed over 6,000 minors into temporary custody, according to reporting on the unrest.
From France to the U.S.: Sy on a hardening world
Sy, who lives in the United States with his family and returns frequently to France, said he still feels at home in America after 14 years but warned that societies everywhere are becoming more hardened. He argued that the same patterns — rising tensions, violence and xenophobic impulses — are visible on both sides of the Atlantic.
The actor is in France promoting the fourth season of the Netflix series Lupin, which is due to premiere on October 23. Sy rose to international fame after the 2011 film The Intouchables and remains a prominent public figure in his native country.
Other cultural figures join the debate
Omar Sy is not alone among French artists in supporting the school movement. Actor Vincent Lindon, speaking about his role in an upcoming adaptation of Les Misérables, contrasted the protests with May 1968: where that era rejected consumer abundance, Lindon said today’s youth are reacting to scarcity — basic needs such as seating, functioning sanitary facilities and a fairer distribution of resources and opportunities.
