More than 400 detained as France student protests escalate
More than 400 people, the majority of them minors, were taken into police custody on Tuesday as high‑school protests erupted across France, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez announced. The demonstrations, which began in the Paris region last week, have seen teenagers blockading their schools for days over overcrowded classrooms and a shortage of teachers. At least ten teachers, several students and 48 police officers were injured during the clashes, and footage showed bins set alight and bus stops damaged. A 16‑year‑old student told AFP the protests aim to highlight a “completely broken” education system, where classes hold up to 34 pupils and teachers are overworked.
The unrest has prompted a sharp political response. Education Minister Édouard Geffray affirmed the right to protest but condemned the violence as “indefensible,” warning that extending blockades endangers both students and public employees. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu, citing earlier arrests of 164 demonstrators, warned that any further escalation would be “irresponsible,” linking the school protests to a broader wave of nationwide walkouts by teachers, hospital staff and civil servants demanding better pay and conditions. While the interior ministry claimed the police response was “extremely proportionate,” the president of the student union Union Syndicale Lycéenne, Ryad Rani, accused the government of repression and excessive force.
The protests have now affected roughly 400 schools, according to the education ministry, and have coincided with other sectoral strikes involving an estimated 200,000 participants that have largely remained peaceful. Officials continue to tally detentions, with Nuñez indicating that about two‑thirds of those arrested are in police custody. The situation underscores mounting pressure on France’s education system and raises questions about how authorities will balance maintaining order with addressing the systemic issues driving the youth‑led demonstrations.
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