Students across France are expressing their discontent over overcrowded classrooms, substandard materials, and a shortage of teachers. Protests escalated on Thursday when assailants doused a high school principal in gasoline and ignited fires at two schools, according to French officials amid increasingly violent demonstrations nationwide.
The unrest, which initially began in high schools, spread to universities on Thursday as students organized widespread street movements demanding more funding, better conditions, smaller class sizes, and replacements for absent teachers.
In response to the turmoil, the government announced a new consultation platform for high school students following several days of disturbances that resulted in dozens of injuries among both students and police, with hundreds arrested, most of whom are teenagers.
On Thursday, police reported that hundreds of youths surrounded a fire truck responding to a blaze at Saint-Exupéry High School in Marseille, forcing the firefighters to abandon their vehicle before setting it ablaze. The principal of Victor Hugo High School in the same southern city was also attacked and sustained injuries, according to prosecutors, who provided no further details.
Another fire was reported at a school in Nantes, in western France. Olivier Chateau, the deputy mayor, informed Franceinfo that the fire at Nelson Mandela High School was under control and that no injuries were reported.
Protests Spread to Hundreds of Schools
Demonstrations began last week in the Île-de-France region surrounding Paris but have since spread to other areas. The movement has ballooned to include 356 schools nationwide as reported by the Ministry of the Interior.
Students and now university attendees are rallying against crowded classrooms, heavy workloads, poor-quality educational materials, and a lack of teachers. “There are cockroaches and rats everywhere in school,” stated 17-year-old student Fadila to Reuters, highlighting extreme temperature variations in classrooms.
The protests, a politically sensitive issue for the government, coincide with recently announced significant budget cuts for 2027. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a crisis meeting on Thursday afternoon.
Students accused police of harsh tactics, including the use of tear gas. The government condemned the violence during protests but acknowledged that the issues facing high schools must be recognized and addressed.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez noted that in some areas, agitators moved from one school to another to incite violence. Education Minister Edouard Geffray urged schools to facilitate remote learning if protesters blocked access to the premises.
“Violence will not prevent our students from exercising their fundamental right to education,” he asserted in a post on platform X.
Macron Acknowledges Students’ Concerns
Approximately 30 university campuses were blocked Thursday morning, as reported by the Student Union, including locations in Paris, Strasbourg, Marseille, Lyon, Reims, Poitiers, and Nanterre. Many high schools also faced blockades in various cities.
On Wednesday, 625 individuals were detained, as noted by the Interior Minister, who highlighted the “expansion of the movement” and condemned the “escalation of violence” at certain schools.
The government pledged to address students’ demands, promising a national analysis of proposals that would lead to what they termed “structured responses.”
In remarks to journalists on Wednesday, President Emmanuel Macron stated, “I hear and understand the anxieties, sometimes the anger, that our young people may feel, whether it is about climate, technological changes, or geopolitical situations.” He emphasized that he and the government are striving to respond “in the most concrete way possible.” However, Macron remarked that none of these discussions or concerns justify the unrest and criticized far-left politicians for allegedly “legitimizing violence.”
