France Student Protests Escalate Nationwide: 560+ High Schools Disrupted Amid Fires, Tear Gas, and Political Fallout
French high school protests surge across France—560+ schools disrupted, fires set, 170 students injured, 2,000 detained. Education Minister blames violent fr...
POLICY WIRE — Paris, France — French high school students ignited fires at school entrances and clashed with police in Paris and multiple cities on Friday, intensifying a protest wave that has disrupted education at more than 560 of the nation’s 3,700 high schools.
The movement, which erupted last week in the Paris region, now spans the country. Teenagers in their final years have blockaded campuses, demanded shorter school days, and decried sweltering classrooms, crumbling infrastructure, and chronic teacher shortages—including entire subjects taught without instructors or textbooks.
“For a whole year, we did not have a science teacher. We do not have any textbooks,” said Simon, a 15-year-old student outside Turgot High School in central Paris who declined to provide his surname. “And still, we’re the lucky ones. it is even worse in the suburbs.”
Education Minister Edouard Geffray characterized the unrest as a legitimate expression of concern hijacked by “ultra-violent fringe groups.” His ministry confirmed disruptions at over 560 schools on Friday, following Thursday’s tally of more than 1,000 affected institutions—many shifting to remote instruction, especially in Marseille.
Fires damaged entrances at two Paris high schools, prompting fire brigade response, according to an AFP photographer. In Rennes, students in black clothing and balaclavas faced off against heavily deployed officers near Jean-Mace High School. At Kerichen High School in Brest, police deployed tear gas to disperse demonstrators.
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Geffray told BFMTV that at least 65 staff members—including 40 principals—have been injured since the protests began, alongside roughly 170 wounded students and severe damage at more than 100 schools. He urged parents to keep children away from demonstrations, warning they face serious danger in the streets.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin directed prosecutors to hold parents financially responsible for property damage caused by their children and announced nearly 2,000 arrests—90% involving minors—since the movement launched.
Lola, a 16-year-old student outside Jean-Mace High School who withheld her surname, declared her school closed that morning and condemned police tactics: It makes us even angrier—the police have no right to hit us or use tear gas on us.
With presidential elections less than six months away, the government has accused the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party—and its presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon—of orchestrating the protests. LFI official Manuel Bompard dismissed the claim as a descent into “conspiracy theories.”
Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)
