Hundreds of schools have been closed across France as demonstrations by high school students over conditions in the country’s education system escalated into violent clashes with police.
Gatekeepers News reports that the protests, which began in the Paris region last week, have spread to several parts of the country. Students are protesting overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, inadequate resources and deteriorating school buildings.
France’s Ministry of National Education said protests or disruptions were reported at 560 schools on Friday, while about 400 of the country’s 3,700 high schools were expected to remain closed.
The demonstrations have been accompanied by fires, property damage and clashes with security forces in several cities.
In Marseille, protesters reportedly forced firefighters from a fire engine before setting the vehicle alight, while public transport was suspended after staff were injured. A school in Nantes was also set on fire, while another school in Le Havre suffered fire damage.
Riot police have been deployed in several locations as authorities attempt to contain the unrest. Reuters reported that about 5,000 people had been arrested, most of them teenagers, while Education Minister Édouard Geffray said 65 education workers had been injured, including 40 headteachers.
Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said earlier that about 2,000 people had been arrested since the protests began, with two-thirds placed in police custody.
The government has described the increasingly violent incidents as a departure from the students’ original demands. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a crisis meeting as the unrest intensified, while the government has also attributed part of the escalation to outside political influence. Members of the left-wing La France Insoumise party have rejected those allegations.
Teachers’ unions have also called for industrial action, citing overcrowded classrooms, staff shortages and deteriorating facilities. The unrest comes as the government prepares its 2027 budget, which proposes a 1.7 percent increase in education spending, below the rate of inflation.
Education officials were scheduled to meet student representatives, parent associations and staff unions to discuss the situation and possible ways of easing the tensions.
The protests have also raised concerns over police tactics. Rights groups and some critics have accused officers of using excessive force against young protesters, while authorities maintain that police intervention has been necessary to deal with violence and protect schools and public property.
