Protests by French high school students over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and deteriorating facilities escalated into violence this week, with fires set at several schools, hundreds of arrests and dozens of staff and police officers injured in clashes across the country.
French Education Minister Edouard Geffray said Thursday’s unrest included a school being set on fire and staff doused with gasoline, prompting him to order more than 400 schools closed on Friday and shift affected students to remote learning. In Nantes, firefighters extinguished a fire at the entrance of the Lycée Nelson Mandela following what regional education officials described as a gathering marked by violence toward staff. French media reported 625 people were arrested on Wednesday alone, with 83 police officers injured that day and 65 staff members hurt overall, according to the education minister.
The unrest, which began at individual schools roughly two weeks ago before spreading nationwide, intensified after a broader day of union-led protests against the government’s upcoming budget. In Paris, police used tear gas to disperse crowds as barricades burned outside several lycées, the secondary schools attended by students aged 15 to 18. In Lille, protesters set rubbish bins and electric bikes alight during a fourth consecutive day of demonstrations, while unrest also spread into the Paris suburb of Aubervilliers and across the border to the Belgian city of Liège. University students joined the movement on Thursday, extending protests to campuses in Paris, Marseille and other cities.
Students cited overloaded schedules, long school days, crumbling infrastructure and a university application process they described as opaque and unresponsive as central grievances. Authorities and some union representatives have said violent elements, distinct from the protesting students themselves, were responsible for carrying out acts of vandalism and arson during the demonstrations. The French government and hard-right politicians have accused hard-left groups of helping ignite the unrest, while a union representing lycée students has organized much of the movement.
Geffray said protecting students and staff remains the government’s priority and announced he would meet with staff unions and parent and student associations on Friday to address the grievances behind the protests.
