Pop CultureCULTURE WATCH

Omar Sy joins critics of French response to student protests

Student protests over staff shortages and run-down schools have run since late September, with a major strike planned for Saturday; the celebrity endorsements are piling up.

On air: Chip Darnell and Brock Thunderson on The Five O'Clock
Published 4:51 PM ET, Thursday, October 15, 2026

Photo: Harald Krichel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0

Photo: Omar Sy — Photo: Harald Krichel · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 3.0

At a glance

First reported by Euronews: “‘Appalling’: Actor Omar Sy joins public figures criticising French authorities’ response to student protests”.
Covered on BBN on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 4:51 PM ET on The Five O'Clock, by Chip Darnell and Brock Thunderson.

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

What BBN said about it

Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorActor Omar Sy is the latest public figure to call the French response to the student protests appalling, and the protests have been building since late September over staff shortages and run-down schools.
Brock Thunderson · Chief MeteorologistThat's a front that's been sitting over the country for three weeks, and now there's a major strike set for Saturday.
Brock Thunderson · Chief MeteorologistEveryone can see it on the map.
Chip Darnell · U.S. News AnchorAnd French cinema has its own worry: more than one hundred seventy film figures say the twenty twenty-seven budget could make hundreds of films vanish.
Brock Thunderson · Chief MeteorologistHundreds of films gone, and Saturday's forecast is the one I actually trust.