Banners slowly fill the square in front of the Basilica of Saint-Denis as high school students from across Île-de-France gather to continue their mobilization, started by the political group RED-Jeunes (Rassemblement pour l'égalité et la démocratie). This group, based in working-class areas, was formed in 2021 after a split with the Young Communists of Val-de-Marne. Its president, Yassine Benyettou, is at the event but stays in the background, letting the students take center stage. Walid and Soumaya, key members of the organizing group, lead the general assembly. "With my colleague, we decided this was the right place and moment to bring together all high school students from Île-de-France," says Soumaya. As students share their experiences, a clear message emerges: the need for a specific union representing high school students from the suburbs. Around them, supporters arrive, including teachers' unions, political figures, middle school students, and students from private high schools who come to support their peers. Maria, a former high school student from Stains, traveled to the event to support those from her old school. Wearing a French flag, she stands out in the crowd. "We are the future of this France, all we are asking for is that they invest in us," she says. "We are here to express our anger because we are fed up with our working conditions. It has been going on for years and nothing changes. We express our anger and all we get is the police and the CRS," says Ayoub, a student at the Mozart high school in Blanc-Mesnil. The role of the police is a central topic in the discussions, with students criticizing what they see as unequal treatment depending on the school. "In Paris, you can see a police officer doing push-ups with students, with us, we are gassed and beaten," says a student at the gathering. Bally Bagayoko, mayor of Saint-Denis and Pierrefitte-sur-Seine, is present to support the students and criticizes the police's behavior. "The police should not behave the way they do. We cannot accept that the demands made by high school students result in such a high number of injured people," he says. A week earlier, Eden, a 14-year-old, was hit in the face by a police shot during a protest in Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône. Recently, Maël, a 16-year-old, lost the use of an eye during a blockade at the Balzac high school in Tours. These incidents have shocked the students, who emphasize in their speeches that they will not give up their right to protest. "The more institutional and police violence increases, the more we will mobilize," says Soumaya. As they exchange Snapchat contacts and discuss plans, practical proposals begin to emerge. In the style of a traditional general assembly, ideas are debated collectively and then put to a vote. Demands include free transportation, immediate replacement of absent teachers, installation of elevators for people with disabilities, and the abolition of Parcoursup, a system for higher education applications. The students' demands are varied and cover many aspects of school life. The students now hope the government will listen. However, the gathering also aims to structure the movement for the long term, which is the challenge of the union mentioned earlier. "This idea comes from an observation: despite the existence of many high school unions, we always feel a bit marginalized. We wanted to create an instance that exclusively represents the students from popular neighborhoods," explains Soumaya. Before leaving, the students conduct a press conference. Facing journalists, they answer questions about education funding and media coverage of their protests. They already have the next meeting in mind: Tuesday, October 6, a day of high school mobilization, with a gathering scheduled at 1 p.m. on the Place de la République in Paris. "We will continue to mobilize calmly and to assert our rights," concludes Walid.