Resistance from the Classrooms: A Brief Overview of Student Movements Past and Present

Universities have historically been key hubs of social mobilization, both witnessing and actively participating in the struggle against the established social order and the pursuit of democratic rights. Specifically, the 1960s were marked by a surge of student activism that—alongside other critical social sectors such as the labor movement—brought the fight for social change to the streets.

The most emblematic example is May 1968, a movement that demanded, among other things, greater freedom of expression, comprehensive educational reform, and a radical transformation of the power structure in De Gaulle’s France. Its demands spread like wildfire, triggering massive demonstrations and strikes across Paris.

That same year, across the Atlantic, thousands of Mexican students mobilized in defense of their democratic freedoms, confronting an authoritarian and repressive regime. On October 2, this struggle met a tragic end when a peaceful demonstration in the Plaza de las Tres Culturas, in Tlatelolco, Mexico City, was brutally repressed. This date has become a historical milestone, reminding us of the fight for democracy and justice in Mexico and worldwide.

In Spain, universities also became centers of resistance against Franco’s dictatorship in the 1960s. Students and faculty challenged censorship and repression, forging a social and political network that would prove crucial during the Transition to democracy. Decades later, Spanish universities would once again become epicenters of major social mobilization, particularly with the rise of the Indignados movement in 2011, a social uprising that transcended national borders and inspired global movements like Occupy Wall Street.

And now? Recently, Madrid has once again witnessed a massive demonstration in defense of public education. On February 23, thousands of people gathered to protest educational privatization, advocating for public universities under the slogan “Save Public Universities”.