French Student Protests Escalate as Clashes and School Closures Spread
By Staff, Agencies
Student demonstrations calling for improved learning conditions continued across France on Friday, with tensions escalating into clashes and property damage in several parts of the country, according to BFMTV.
In Strasbourg, tensions intensified after a protest outside a high school moved toward the University of Strasbourg following the intervention of police. Witnesses and local reports described mortar fireworks being fired during the unrest, while gasoline was used to start a fire.
Clashes subsequently broke out between protesters and police near the university campus. Security forces used tear gas to disperse crowds after fireworks were thrown at officers. Reports indicated that around a dozen individuals dressed in black were present alongside high school and university students.
In Paris, firefighters responded to fires reportedly started at the entrances of two schools. Police in Loire also announced several arrests involving individuals allegedly carrying potentially dangerous objects, including a firework stick and a glass-breaking hammer.
The situation appeared calmer in Marseille, where the prefect of Bouches-du-Rhône told BFMTV that conditions were “incomparable with yesterday,” with significantly fewer protesters reported on the streets.
Authorities nevertheless reported continued disruption. Eleven schools were described as being affected Friday morning, while police cleared some blockades. Prefect Jacques Witkowski said 55 high schools had shifted to remote learning.
The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region estimated that damage associated with the protests had reached between €25 million [$28 million] and €30 million [$33 million]. Officials said the region had recorded approximately 180 blockades over three days and 90 incidents involving attacks on high schools.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray said Thursday that more than 400 schools would be closed Friday. He told France 2 that some schools would remain closed because fire-protection systems had been damaged or staff members had allegedly been deliberately targeted.
Geffray argued that the movement had “changed in nature” and was being exploited by violent groups. He said the authorities had recorded 1,207 high schools that had been disrupted or blocked at some point during the mobilization, while more than 100 schools had suffered serious damage and 65 members of school staff had been injured.
French government officials also held an emergency meeting Thursday to discuss the unrest. According to BFMTV, government sources alleged that the protests had been organized covertly by the left-wing political party LFI and affiliated groups. Those claims were presented by officials as part of their assessment of the escalating demonstrations.
Authorities increasingly described the unrest as “urban violence” rather than simply a series of school blockades.
The Interior Ministry said all prefects had issued orders Thursday evening restricting demonstrations near schools on Friday. The measures were reportedly applied across all French departments.
Meanwhile, organizations representing students, along with left-wing and far-left political groups, have called for another nationwide mobilization on October 6. The groups say the demonstrations are intended to protest what they describe as police “repression.”
The continued protests have therefore developed into a broader confrontation involving students, police, government authorities and political organizations, with the extent of the disruption and the response by authorities remaining central issues in the ongoing dispute.
