In brief
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned the 164 arrests of students during a violent wave of school protests in France and warned that any further escalation would be irresponsible. The demonstrations, sparked by overcrowded classes and teacher shortages, have turned violent with fireworks, fires and clashes with police. Lecornu called for an end to “fireworks, fires, violence” and urged the government to address underlying issues while condemning the violence. He also accused the far‑left LFI party of encouraging the disturbance and called for perpetrators to be held accountable. The unrest began in Île‑de‑France and has spread across several regions, prompting a large‑scale police response and unity calls from other unions.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has condemned the wave of violent school blockades that have seen 164 students arrested, calling any escalation "irresponsible".
The protests began in Paris after students angry about overcrowded classes and teacher shortages stopped attending school, turning the demonstrations into a full‑blown boycott. In several lycées, students blocked gates for days, setting firecrackers and turning clashes with police into violent encounters that led to injuries on both sides.
Lecornu warned on X that the use of fireworks, fires and direct violence against high‑school staff and police "does nothing to protect anyone" and urged a calm response. He said the challenges of France’s educational system must be heard, yet condemned the violence and demanded that perpetrators face justice.
Union leaders for students defended the blockades as a legitimate response to decades of under‑funding and overcrowding. The Syndical Union of Lycees said the protests were driven by lack of teachers, dilapidated schools and an overburdened entrance platform (Parcoursup), signalling that austerity has pushed young people to the brink.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported that in one incident a police officer fired a grenade‑launcher round at a suspect, injuring a student. More than 180 schools were affected and 12 security staff, 12 students and three teachers sustained injuries during Monday’s confrontations.
The movement, now spread to Marseille, Lille and Sedan, has drawn the attention of multiple unions, including those for teachers, hospitals and civil servants who called for a nationwide walk‑out to protest low wages and harsh working conditions.
French left‑wing party LFI, led by Jean‑Luc Mélenchon, accused the government of ordering a crack‑down, claiming the students were harmless and the protests were a form of civil dissent. Lecornu and the interior ministry rejected that view, describing the incidents more as urban violence with masked individuals armed with projectiles, not a demand‑driven protest.
Investigations are underway into the serious incidents that have escalated the protests, as France’s education system sits at the centre of a renewed debate on public funding and social stability.
