French secondary school students' protests over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, and poor facilities escalated on Thursday, with fires set outside schools and blockades in several cities. A protesting student feeds a burnt barrier during a blockading action outside the secondary school Le Corbusier, in Aubervilliers, northern Paris. More than 160 schools were shut down on Thursday, while university students joined the protests in Paris and Marseille.
The protests, which started last week, have spread across the country from the Paris suburbs, with the government accusing hard-left politicians of encouraging the unrest. Riot police have been deployed to confront the students, and the force has launched internal probes after accusations of brutality against three pupils. The government said the demonstrations had become "urban violence", and Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu urged all ministers to postpone any travel nationwide.
Some 340 demonstrations were underway in front of high schools mid-morning, with more than 160 establishments shut down as a result, police said. University students joined in on Thursday, blocking physical access to around 30 campuses, including in Paris and the southern city of Marseille, a student union said. In the northern city of Caen, 16-year-old Maelle expressed concerns about the protests turning violent.
In the northwestern city of Nantes, firefighters had to intervene to put out a fire in the entrance of a high school "following a gathering marked by violence towards staff", the regional education board said. Regional authorities reported "acts of violence near high schools", mainly in Nantes, blaming "violent individuals" who "join the students to carry out acts of vandalism".
In the northeastern city of Strasbourg, authorities ordered trams to grind to a halt to "restrict the movements of rioters and demonstrators", the regional prefect said. Raphael, a 17-year-old protester, described the poor conditions in his school, including overcrowded classrooms, lack of toilets, and water leaks. He also mentioned that the building was falling apart and there were not enough supervisors.
The government has accused the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party of encouraging the protests. However, LFI's candidate for the 2027 presidential election, Jean-Luc Melenchon, said that his party "called for non-violent methods of struggle". Bally Bagayoko, the LFI mayor of the French capital's largest suburb Saint-Denis, defended his visit to protesters outside a high school in Saint-Denis.
The protests have spread to neighboring countries, with reports of protests and damage at a handful of schools in the eastern city of Liege, Belgium. The situation remains tense, with concerns about the impact of the protests on the education system and the potential for further escalation.
Key points
- Over 160 French schools were shut down due to protests.
- University students joined the protests in Paris and Marseille.
- The government accused hard-left politicians of encouraging the unrest.
