New Delhi: French high school students clashed with police on Friday as protests over education conditions intensified across the country, with demonstrators
blocking schools, setting fires and throwing projectiles at security forces.
Police responded with tear gas in several cities as the movement, which began in the Paris region in September, continued to spread nationwide. The protests have involved students in their mid-to-late teens studying at lycees, particularly those in their final years of schooling.
According to France’s education ministry, nearly 400 schools were closed on Friday, while teaching was disrupted at at least 564 of the country’s roughly 3,700 high schools.
Students say they are protesting against long school hours, inadequate facilities, overheated classrooms and frequent staff absences.
“For a whole year, we didn’t have a science teacher. We don’t have any textbooks,” said Simon, a 15-year-old student outside Turgot High School in central Paris.
Police use tear gas as clashes erupt
In the western city of Brest, police used tear gas at Kerichen High School after students threw projectiles at security forces, according to an AFP photographer.
In Paris, fires damaged the entrances of two schools, Leonard de Vinci in the south and Gaston-Bachelard in the southeast. Firefighters were called to put out the blazes.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez condemned footage from Belfort showing a group of youths surrounding and attacking a police officer. He described the violence as rare and intolerable. A 17-year-old student was arrested over the incident, while the officer briefly lost consciousness.
Students have also accused police of using excessive force. Authorities have launched internal investigations following allegations of brutality against three demonstrators.
In Toulouse, protesters were seen using eye drops after police deployed tear gas, while officers in Aubervilliers used batons and riot shields to control crowds.
Government warns of violence, political fallout
The protests have also become a political issue ahead of France’s presidential election, with the government accusing the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) of influencing the movement. LFI official Manuel Bompard rejected the accusation and accused the government of promoting conspiracy theories.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray said the student movement was being “held hostage by ultra-violent fringe groups”. He said at least 65 staff members, including 40 high school principals, had been injured since the protests began.
Geffray also said around 170 students had been injured and more than 100 high schools had suffered severe damage.
Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said prosecutors had been asked to pursue parents for damages caused by their children during the protests.
Since the movement began, around 2,000 people have been taken into police custody, with Darmanin saying about 90 per cent of them were minors.
