Hundreds held, dozens wounded as protests over conditions in French schools escalate
Since last week, students have staged protests outside schools over grievances ranging from timetables, class sizes and a shortage of teachers to overheated classrooms during this year's heatwaves.
French authorities detained over 600 individuals and saw multiple police officers injured as school protests intensified, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. The unrest, which began last week, centers around grievances such as school schedules, overcrowded classrooms, and insufficient staffing in France's high schools, where students aged 15 to 18 attend their final three years of education.
Originally concentrated in the Paris region, the protests have now escalated nationwide. Nuñez condemned the violent tactics employed by some protesters, including targeting law enforcement, throwing projectiles, acts of violence, verbal abuse, attempted arson, and urban violence. Education Minister Edouard Geffray reported that at least 83 police officers and gendarmes were wounded during the demonstrations, which disrupted classes at 356 schools.
Geffray noted that the cities most affected include Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, and Lille, where police again resorted to tear gas during clashes. President Emmanuel Macron denounced hard-left politicians who he claimed were "legitimising violence," emphasizing that authorities do not support vandalism.
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