France closes up to 500 schools Monday over student protests

Up to 500 French high schools may be partially or fully closed on Monday due to recent student protests, according to the education minister Édouard Geffray. Lessons at some of these institutions will either be suspended entirely or in part, as security conditions have not been met. Geffray also revealed that 24 schools have been burned or ransacked since the protests began last week.

The demonstrations, which originated in Paris, have since spread to other cities such as Montpellier, Nantes, and Marseille. Students are protesting over issues like inadequate teachers, overcrowded classrooms, and deteriorating school buildings. Earlier this week, French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin reported that 735 out of 3,700 schools had been affected by the violent protests in some capacity.

Geffray warned that the number of schools potentially closed on Monday could be similar to Friday's figure, but assured a "partial, progressive return to lessons." He claimed that activists, particularly from the far-left, have infiltrated the high school student movement and engaged in extreme violence, posing a threat to both staff and students.

As of Friday, 1,747 people had been arrested, with over 5,000 arrests overall since the protests began, and roughly 85% of these arrests were minors. The protests organizers have called for demonstrations to continue on Tuesday, criticizing the government for not providing concrete measures. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced additional steps to address the challenges faced by high school students and teachers, including maintaining classes, upgrading facilities, organizing school days better, and making the French university admissions platform more transparent.

Lecornu also mentioned that the government is speeding up the review of its "vandal-pays" bill, which would hold individuals responsible for damages accountable for their actions.