Bildung: Knapp 2.000 Festnahmen bei Schulprotesten in Frankreich

In France, nearly 2,000 people were arrested during school protests. The majority of those arrested were accused of violence, including attacks on emergency personnel, according to the Ministry of the Interior. Police officers and gendarmes sustained 305 injuries as a result. On Friday, over 400 schools were reportedly forced to close due to the protests, with only remote learning available.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray stated that 170 students and 65 individuals from the education sector had been injured since the protests began. The minister emphasized the need for dialogue. Students had been protesting for better funding since the end of the previous week, citing outdated school buildings, overcrowded classrooms, and a shortage of teachers.

Some protests against gymnasiums targeted the platform for university admissions. While many students demonstrated peacefully, there were frequent outbreaks of violence, with burning trash cans, assaults on emergency personnel, and damaged school buildings. Public transportation was disrupted in several cities due to the protests, including a fire truck being set ablaze in Marseille.

The Ministry of the Interior complained that the situation was not about legitimate demands but rather resembled urban unrest. As the protests persisted for days and spread to universities, France's government faced pressure. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu called an emergency meeting regarding the gymnasium situation, prompting education ministers to cancel planned trips.

In response, Education Minister Geffray addressed viewers of France 2, urging calm and promising to hold discussions with gymnasium students. The only path forward, he stated, was dialogue.