Over 400 Students Arrested as France’s Nationwide School Protests Escalate
The French Interior Minister announced on Tuesday that more than 400 people, most of them minors, were taken into custody after a wave of secondary‑school blockades that have spread across the country.
The demonstrations began in Paris and have seen students lock school gates for days, citing a chronic overcrowding of classrooms—up to 34 students per class—and an acute shortage of teachers. At least 10 teachers and several students, along with 48 police officers, were reported injured during the protests on Tuesday, while the education ministry said that more than 400 schools were affected.
Videos and photos circulated on social media showed burning bins, damaged bus stops and students throwing projectiles at police. A 16‑year‑old girl told AFP that the protests were about a “broken education system” and that the classes were simply unmanageable.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray acknowledged students’ right to protest but called the violence “indefensible”. He cautioned that any calls for extended blockades would endanger both students and public workers.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told BFMTV that the arrest numbers per police reports were about 440, adding that “two thirds led to police custody.” He said the force used was “carried out in an extremely proportionate manner.”
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned that an escalation would be “irresponsible” after the arrest of 164 people in the preceding week. He condemned the use of firework, fire and violence near schools, stressing that the safety of students, teachers and police must not be jeopardised.
The unrest coincided with nationwide walk‑outs by unions representing teachers, hospital staff and civil servants, which were largely peaceful but added pressure on the government to tackle long‑standing grievances over wages and working conditions. Nuñez said the union protests, involving an estimated 200,000 participants, “mostly went without incident.”
The protests continue to test France’s commitment to the rule of law, students’ civil liberties and the state’s responsibility to provide a viable education system for its youth.
