Protests have erupted across France, with incidents of violence reported against teachers and various fires ignited as demonstrations intensify. Students are voicing their frustrations regarding overcrowded classrooms, a lack of teachers, and deteriorating school facilities.
In response to these grievances, over 160 schools have been closed, while university students have joined the movement in cities including Paris and Marseille. The demonstrations have seen students setting fire to waste bins and creating blockades outside numerous educational institutions.
Reports indicate that several school principals sustained injuries or were harassed during blockades at high schools on Thursday, according to local education authorities, prefectures, and union representatives. Police have detained hundreds of demonstrators at the lycees, where students aged 15 to 18 complete their final three years of secondary education in France.
The interior ministry reported that police and gendarmes made a total of 1,949 arrests on Thursday, with 305 officers injured in the clashes. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez condemned what he termed “unrestrained violence,” while the government characterized the protests as “urban violence,” citing intelligence services that suggested the unrest was organized by far-left factions.
Manuel Bompard, a prominent member of the hard-left France Unbowed party (LFI), refuted these allegations, claiming the government was engaging in “conspiratorial thinking.” This wave of unrest coincides with ongoing public frustration over inflation, particularly rising fuel prices, and occurs just seven months ahead of France’s presidential elections, where far-right candidate Marine Le Pen currently leads in opinion polls.
A security source revealed that approximately 900 blockades or similar incidents took place nationwide on Thursday. In the Paris region alone, authorities noted that around 50 schools experienced violence, clashes, and damage.
Protests, which began last week, have encompassed various issues including class sizes, timetables, teacher shortages, and excessively hot classrooms during this summer’s heatwaves. The unrest has spread from the suburbs of Paris to other regions across the country.
Riot police have confronted students, and investigations into allegations of police brutality against three students have been initiated, according to Interior Minister Nunez. University students also participated in Thursday’s protests, blocking access to approximately 30 campuses, as reported by a student union.
Reports of violence directed at school staff have emerged, including an incident in Marseille where a school principal and his deputy were doused with petrol. In Nantes, firefighters had to extinguish a fire at a high school entrance following a violent gathering aimed at staff members, according to regional education authorities.
In Strasbourg, tram services were suspended to mitigate the movement of rioters and demonstrators, according to the local prefect. A 17-year-old protester named Raphael expressed concerns about overcrowding, stating, “There are 35 of us per classroom. With 35 degrees Celsius in summer, it’s unbearable. There aren’t enough toilets, and some rooms have water leaks.” He added that the school infrastructure was deteriorating, with inadequate cafeteria space and funding.
Nearby, students documented their presence at the protests, posing for photos in front of burning garbage bins while holding signs from their school. Most participants distanced themselves from vandalism, fleeing when police deployed tear gas.
In Toulouse, hundreds of youths occupied tram tracks, tipping over trash cans, starting fires, and throwing projectiles, as observed by AFP journalists. Similarly, in Lille, reporters witnessed individuals in black hoodies vandalizing a bus stop, with firefighters responding to extinguish flames from overturned bins.
The government has accused the France Unbowed party of inciting the protests. However, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the LFI candidate for the 2027 presidential election, stated that his party advocates for peaceful protest methods. Meanwhile, protests also occurred in Belgium, with incidents reported at several schools in the eastern city of Liege.
