High school students across France escalated protests on Wednesday and Thursday, setting fires and confronting police in several cities. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez reported about 625 detentions, while 83 officers were injured. Government data shows 159 students and staff were hurt, including a student who lost part of hand use after a firework exploded.
Students cite crumbling schools and budget shortfalls
Protesters say classrooms lack basic amenities – “no windows, no water in prefab toilets, cockroaches and rats everywhere,” said 17‑year‑old Fadila of Lycée Paul Éluard in Saint‑Denis. She added that heating fails in winter and temperatures soar to 40 °C in summer, while the school canteen is unaffordable.
Across poorer suburbs, high schools have become flashpoints. Fires were reported at Lycée Nelson Mandela in Nantes, and blockades and trash‑can burnings appeared at dozens of schools. Roughly 400 schools nationwide have faced student blockades, some supported by teaching staff.
Political response and funding concerns
President Emmanuel Macron, speaking during a state visit to Spain, expressed sympathy for the youths’ anxieties but condemned the violence, stating that no debate justifies law‑breaking. Regional President Valérie Pécresse announced plans to invoice the mayor of Saint‑Denis €100,000 for damage to Lycée Paul Éluard and estimated total regional costs at about €1 million.
Prime Minister Gabriel Attal convened an inter‑ministerial crisis meeting to address the unrest. Education Minister Édouard Philippe pledged to expand online learning for affected students, emphasizing that “violence will not deprive our students of their fundamental right to education.”
Law enforcement actions
Police deployed pepper spray and tear‑gas grenades, with video showing a teenager struck in the face by a tear‑gas canister. A lawyer for the family of a 14‑year‑old victim described the incident as an “explosion of violence” and filed a formal complaint.
Lawmakers from the far‑left France Unbowed party, including Saint‑Denis mayor Bally Bagayoko, defended the right to protest while urging accountability for illegal actions.
The protests underscore a broader crisis in France’s education system, where budget constraints and historic public debt have left schools under‑resourced and in disrepair, fueling student anger and prompting a national debate on how to fund and modernize public education.
Original reporting: El Paso News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
