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Students clash with police across France
About 440 people were arrested after high school students took to the streets across France on the 29th to protest school conditions, with demonstrations escalating into clashes with police.
The movement began near Paris last week and spread to about 400 of France’s 3,700 schools. Forty schools were blockaded, while attempts were made to block access to 44 others. Protests also reached major cities including Marseille, Bordeaux and Lyon.
In the northern city of Lille, masked students gathered outside a school, set trash cans on fire, damaged a bus stop and billboards, and threw pieces of paving stones and bottles toward police. In the western city of Nantes, students piled dozens of trash cans across a school entrance.
Police responded with tear gas and batons. Students and police officers were injured, though no figures were provided. At one school near Paris, teachers formed a line around students to shield them from police.
Students cite long hours and poor conditions
Protesters said school days are excessively long and criticized overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and overheated buildings during last summer’s heat wave. About 80 students gathered at a Paris school chanting, “We spend more time in class than asleep.”
Victoire, a 16-year-old participant, described conditions at her school as “unsanitary” and said students in outlying communities felt abandoned and neglected.
Government condemns violence
Education Minister Édouard Geffray said on X that legal proceedings had begun over the unrest and called the violence extremely serious. He warned that justifying the actions or encouraging school blockades would endanger students and public employees, describing such conduct as irresponsible.
The protests come as labor unions continue demonstrations and strikes against Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s proposed budget. With about 10% of teachers joining the strike, political leaders are watching closely to see whether the student movement merges with the broader labor unrest.
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