Nationwide Student Protest Pits Youth Against Riot Police
Over 1,700 people were arrested after students disrupted more than 700 schools across France, turning the education crisis into a nationwide clash with riot police.
The protests began in Paris last week and spread rapidly to cities such as Montpellier, Nantes, Marseille and Strasbourg. Youths demanded solutions to severe teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, dilapidated buildings and budget cuts that many say will worsen further.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said the situation had "slid into riot and urban violence" and announced the use of tear gas and other measures to restore order.
The education ministry reported that “735 of France’s 3,700 schools were affected in one way or another”, with 65 staff members injured and notable damage, such as over €2m being inflicted on Nelson Mandela high school in Nantes when its glass entrance burned in a fire.
Education minister Édouard Geffray claimed the protests had been hijacked by non‑students, while unions from SNEP‑FSU, SNUEP‑FSU and Solidaires voiced strong support for the demonstrators, calling on the public to back the “freedom of assembly” of secondary pupils.
“It makes us even angrier – the police have no right to hit us or use tear gas on us”, a 16‑year‑old protester, Lola, told AFP. She added that the protests had caused schools to close abruptly that morning.
Parents froze as news spread. One mother, Anya, worried her son had been caught in the chaos, stating she had been told to keep him away from the scenes because of escalating violence.
The unrest comes at a critical time; France is six months from its presidential election, putting additional pressure on the government to find a long‑term answer to the education crisis.
