Students at the University of Paris–Nanterre occupied an administration building and formed the “March 22 Movement.” The action brought together anarchist, Trotskyist, and other left-wing currents and helped turn campus grievances into a visible political challenge. It became an important starting point for the wider May–June crisis.
As tensions grew, authorities closed the Nanterre campus, pushing the student movement toward central Paris. This decision helped shift protests from a suburban campus to the Sorbonne and the Latin Quarter, where confrontations would draw national attention. The closure acted as a trigger for rapid escalation in early May.
At the Sorbonne, police were called in to clear a student gathering, leading to mass arrests. The crackdown sparked street fighting as bystanders and students resisted, and it intensified anger about police tactics. The Sorbonne’s closure after the clash further fueled mobilization.
Student marches and police responses led to serious street fighting in Paris, with injuries and arrests. The scale of conflict showed the protest movement was no longer limited to campus demands. It also helped convince trade unions and broader public opinion that the crisis had become national.
On the night of May 10–11, protesters built barricades and fought police in the Latin Quarter. The violence and injuries shocked many observers and increased sympathy for students. This turning point helped transform a student uprising into a broader social crisis.
Major union federations called a 24-hour general strike, and huge demonstrations took place, including a massive march in Paris. The day symbolized a new alliance—sometimes tense—between students and organized labor. It also created momentum for wider, longer strikes.
Workers at the Sud Aviation plant near Nantes began a sit-down strike and occupied the factory. This action is often treated as the first major factory occupation of the crisis, showing that worker demands could move beyond brief protest. The example spread to other workplaces and helped turn protests into a nationwide shutdown.
Workers seized control of key Renault sites and other factories, expanding the strike movement into major industries. The scale of the stoppages disrupted transportation and production and put intense pressure on the government. What began as student unrest had become a full national crisis involving millions of workers.
Clashes intensified again, with dramatic fighting in Paris and an attack on the Bourse (Paris Stock Exchange). The episode highlighted how quickly protests could turn into broader urban unrest and property destruction. It also strengthened the government’s argument that public order was breaking down.
Government, unions, and employer representatives negotiated the Grenelle Agreements, including major wage increases such as a large rise in the minimum wage. Although important, the agreements were not signed and were widely rejected by many striking workers. The failure to settle the dispute showed the movement had gone beyond standard workplace bargaining.
President Charles de Gaulle briefly disappeared from public view and went to Baden-Baden, raising uncertainty about state authority. On May 30 he returned and gave a radio address dissolving the National Assembly and calling new elections, while supporters rallied in Paris. The move shifted the crisis toward an electoral outcome and away from open-ended confrontation.
As strikes and demonstrations continued into June, the government moved to restrict the far left by banning multiple organizations. This represented a turn toward stronger state repression alongside political stabilization through elections. The bans also weakened parts of the movement’s organizing capacity.
Police evacuated students who still occupied the Sorbonne, signaling the state’s determination to reassert control of key symbolic spaces. The eviction also reflected the movement’s loss of momentum compared with mid-May. By mid-June, street actions continued, but the balance was shifting toward government recovery.
France held legislative elections in two rounds, producing a strong victory for the Gaullist party and allies. The result gave the government a renewed mandate and helped close the immediate political crisis, even as social and cultural debates continued. The May–June events left a lasting imprint on French labor relations and youth culture despite the electoral outcome.
May 1968 Student Protests in France (May–June 1968)