About 400 high schools across France remained closed on Friday as a week of student protests over classroom conditions escalated into violent clashes with riot police, with authorities reporting dozens of injured staff and nearly 2,000 detentions since the unrest began.
French Education Minister Édouard Geffray told broadcaster France 2 that a little over 400 schools and other educational establishments would stay shut, out of roughly 3,700 high schools nationwide. The Interior Ministry said 1,027 establishments were affected by disruption on Thursday alone, including 222 that were blockaded. Geffray said the student movement had been “held hostage” by an ultra-violent fringe, adding that at least 65 education staff, including 40 school principals, have been injured since protests began, and that more than 100 schools have sustained severe damage.
Fires broke out at multiple schools in Paris, Toulouse and Marseille on Thursday and Friday, with fire crews called to extinguish blazes at the entrances of several lycées. Police used tear gas against protesters in cities including Brest and Toulouse, while regional officials in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes estimated damage linked to the unrest at €25 million to €30 million. A government official said roughly two-thirds of those arrested have been placed in police custody, and warned that the movement had shifted from student demonstrations into a broader public-order disturbance.
The protests, which began in the greater Paris region last week, stem from student grievances over teacher shortages, dilapidated buildings and long school days that in some cases stretch from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. The unrest has carried a political charge ahead of France’s 2027 presidential election, with officials close to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu saying intelligence agencies have linked the movement’s origins to hard-left politicians, including members of La France Insoumise. LFI lawmaker Louis Boyard denied the claim, and the party’s leader, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, who is again seeking the presidency, has not been directly implicated.
Many affected schools, particularly in Marseille, have shifted to remote learning to maintain continuity, and Geffray has urged parents to keep children away from the demonstrations. The unrest comes as France’s government seeks to push through a difficult 2027 budget amid mounting fiscal pressure.
