Hundreds of French Schools Closed as Youth Protests Over Education Erupt Into Nationwide Violence

Approximately 400 schools across France remain closed on Friday after student demonstrations concerning education-related grievances escalated into widespread urban violence. According to a crisis meeting readout provided by a source close to Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, the movement reached a tipping point, transforming from initial school blockades into severe disturbances.

The protests initially began in the Paris region last month over teacher shortages and dilapidated school buildings. However, they have since turned increasingly violent as they spread nationwide, resulting in dozens of injuries and hundreds of arrests by police.

On Thursday, young protesters ignited fires at a minimum of two high schools, while teachers were inadvertently splashed with petrol at a third institution located in the southern city of Marseille, officials reported. Meanwhile, at least one car was torched in Strasbourg in the east, and riot police engaged in clashes with youths in Toulouse in the south-west.

“There are a little over 400 schools and other educational establishments that I know of that will be closed,” French Education Minister Edouard Geffray stated during an interview with broadcaster France 2 late on Thursday.

Political opponents have accused hard-left politicians and local mayors of fanning the flames of the protest movement by appearing in front of high schools to defend it. Intelligence agencies informed a crisis meeting on Thursday that the movement was initiated by hard-left politicians, including members of La France Insoumise (LFI), according to the source close to Mr Lecornu.

Denying the claim in statements to French broadcasters, LFI politician Louis Boyard said, “LFI has always advocated non-violent demonstrations. The government, by turning it into a political battle, has added fuel to the fire by insulting and repressing high school students. This sense of frustration will not be dealt with through batons, it will be dealt with by showing consideration for these young people.”

Some of the most intense unrest on Thursday occurred in Marseille. At the city's Victor Hugo high school, two teachers were inadvertently splashed when a pupil attempted to throw petrol into a rubbish bin. Earlier, the prosecutor's office reported that the teachers had been assaulted and doused in petrol. Outside Marseille's Saint-Exupery high school, hundreds of young people forced firefighters to flee their lorry before setting it ablaze. Public transport in France's second-largest city was suspended following injuries sustained by staff members during the unrest.

Additionally, fire crews confirmed that a school was set ablaze in the western city of Nantes, while the facade of another suffered fire damage in Le Havre in the north. In the Parisian suburb of Saint-Denis, crowds of young people gathered before a line of police, with one pupil holding a sign reading, “Can we explain ourselves without being tear-gassed?” Mr Geffray announced plans to meet representatives of staff unions, parent groups, and student associations on Friday.

The demonstrations and blockades, which started last week, have evolved into a major political flashpoint at a sensitive time for the government, which announced deeply unpopular spending cuts in its 2027 budget on Thursday. Officials stated that the demonstrations have left dozens injured and hundreds arrested, the majority of whom are teenagers. While pupils have accused law enforcement of heavy-handed tactics—including the deployment of tear gas and flash-ball guns—the government has condemned the outbreak of violence while acknowledging that high school difficulties must be addressed.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez noted that troublemakers in certain areas have moved between schools specifically to incite violence. Urging alternative measures, Mr Geffray called for schools to conduct remote classes if protesters block their premises, stating on X, “Violence will not keep our students from their fundamental right to an education.”