Riot Police Clash with Students as Education Protests Rage in France
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Riot police clash with protesters as thousands of students demonstrating over education standards disrupt more than 560 schools in France on Friday.
Image source: EPA/Shutterstock
Image caption: High school students face off against riot police during a protest in Montpellier
By Dan Sales
Published 10 minutes ago
Riot police have clashed with protesters as thousands of students demonstrated over education standards, disrupting more than 560 schools across France on Friday. Fires burned in the streets as high school pupils and others objected to a lack of teachers, overcrowded classrooms, and run-down buildings.
The protests began last week in Paris and have spread nationwide, with cities including Montpellier, Nantes, and Marseille affected. French justice minister Gerald Darmanin declared that the situation had escalated from student demonstrations to public order disturbances.
On Friday, a 17-year-old was arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide following protests in Belfort, northeastern France, where a police officer was targeted. At least 65 staff members have been injured in the unrest, according to the education ministry. In Paris suburbs like Pantin, police charged at protesters and made arrests after projectiles were thrown at officers. Tear gas was deployed in Strasbourg as authorities feared conditions would become more hostile, per Reuters. Rubbish bins were set on fire in Rennes and Paris.
"As far as we're concerned, we've won - our school is closed this morning," said 16-year-old protester Lola, speaking to AFP. She criticized police actions, stating, "It makes us even angrier - the police have no right to hit us or use tear gas on us."
In Marseille, fireworks were thrown at police, and teachers were accidentally splashed with petrol at a local school. "Significant damage" had been incurred to school facilities, reported the education ministry. The Nelson Mandela high school in Nantes suffered over €2 million (£1.7 million) in damages, according to regional government figures.
The blockades and protests originated last week and have spread to hundreds of schools across the country. Students cite excessive school hours, uncomfortable classroom temperatures, and high staff absenteeism as primary concerns. The unrest comes at a critical time for French President Emmanuel Macron, six months before next year's presidential election. Budget cuts planned to impact education funding have enraged young protesters.
French Education Minister Édouard Geffray accused non-students of hijacking the movement on Friday, stating that teachers had expressed concern about individuals not belonging to their student bodies participating in protests. Parents also expressed worry about their children becoming entangled in the wave of violence and unrest. At the Claude Monet school in southern Paris, Anya, a 53-year-old mother, searched for her son, fearing he might be involved despite her instructions against attending the demonstrations.