French authorities have detained at least 440 people in connection with protests across the country’s high schools this week, as students demonstrate against the state of the education system. The demonstrations, which began earlier this week, have involved hundreds of schools and have at times turned violent, with barricades erected and projectiles thrown, including fires set to trash bins.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed on Tuesday evening that many of those detained were minors. By Wednesday morning, nearly 80 individuals, including students and school staff, had been reported injured during the incidents, according to Education Minister Édouard Geffray.
The protests were organized by a union of high school students highlighting grievances such as insufficient teaching and support staff, deteriorating school facilities, overcrowded classrooms and schedules, and the stress associated with an opaque, state-run online platform used for higher education applications. The platform, which manages admissions to undergraduate programs, is widely viewed as impersonal and confusing by students.
While Geffray acknowledged the legitimacy of the students’ concerns and called for a dialogue, he condemned the violence. He cited incidents in which students launching fireworks caused injuries, including one young protester who lost use of part of a hand. The minister also described attacks on teachers and school principals, emphasizing that no demand justifies such actions.
Student representatives defended their tactics, saying the blockade of schools was a last resort after previous petitions and protests went unheeded. One protester, Lina Bouiellan, speaking from Paris, described her school as being in a poor condition and detailed the pressure of an extended school day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The student unrest coincides with broader labor strikes among public sector workers, including teachers, who are pressing for increased resources and higher wages. Sophie Véritéaty, a leader of one teachers’ union, expressed support for the students’ demands while condemning the violence. Her union, together with two others representing educational staff, criticized what they described as “indiscriminate police interventions” and “police repression” that contributed to student injuries.
In specific incidents, a young protester in Tours was hospitalized with head injuries, and five youths were arrested for throwing projectiles at police. Authorities in the Sarthe region reported that protesters threw Molotov cocktails, resulting in 15 arrests.
The protests have intensified political tensions between the left-wing opposition and the centrist government. Opposition leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon described the students as “harmless” and criticized what he called the harsh government response. In turn, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu accused Mélenchon of exacerbating the situation, underscoring the rights of students, school staff, and police officers to safety and respect during their duties.
The unrest appears set to continue, with the country’s largest student union calling for further school and university blockades on Thursday, followed by a major national demonstration involving youth scheduled for next Tuesday.