France Student Protests Escalate as 5060 Arrested and Schools Disrupted
France student protests spread nationwide as 5060 people are arrested, hundreds of schools are disrupted and PM Sebastien Lecornu acts on teacher shortages and school conditions.
Raja Awais Ali
10/6/20262 min read
France Student Protests Escalate as 5060 Arrested and Schools Disrupted
France’s student protest movement erupted on Tuesday, October 6 as high school students across the country blocked school entrances and joined demonstrations seeking action on teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating school facilities. The protests which have been going on for about two weeks in disadvantaged suburbs around Paris, have now spread nationwide, with students taking part in blockades and demonstrations in cities such as Paris, Lille, Marseille, Strasbourg and Nantes. Trade unions have also joined the movement demanding action on complaints about conditions in their education systems.
Students have called for absent teachers to be replaced, better-maintained school buildings and improved learning conditions. Students have also voiced concerns over the length of the school day which runs from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and have called for longer lunch breaks. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has directed ministers to work on their demands and put forward their first proposals by the end of October. The government is also looking at renovations in ageing school buildings and measures to prevent classes from being left without teachers when staff are absent.
The protests have also resulted in widespread disruption. Hundreds of high schools have been affected by closures or partial closures as the movement has also been accompanied by clashes with police. The Justice Ministry said 5060 people had been arrested since the protests started and 87% of those arrested were minors. Over 1800 people are being prosecuted including 1483 minors but 790 cases have been dismissed.
The unrest has also resulted in injuries on both sides. According to Prime Minister Lecornu’s office, at least 715 police officers and 215 teenagers have been injured in clashes with the student protest movement. The government has also deployed riot police as some demonstrations have featured violence and damage. Authorities have said that the movement has been increasingly accompanied with incidents of urban violence as student protesters continue to voice their demands for improved schools and resources.
One of the most serious incidents happened on Monday in the northern French town of Lens, where a 15-year-old student lost his hand during a protest. Local newspaper La Voix du Nord reported that the teenager was injured after picking up a police dispersal grenade. Pas-de-Calais prefect Francois-Xavier Lauch confirmed that an investigation had been opened but Reuters pointed out that the account of the teenager picking up the grenade was from the local newspaper and not the prefect. The circumstances surrounding the incident are open to investigation.
The protests are an added problem for the French government to control spending and tighten the country’s budget deficit. France’s 10-year government bond yield briefly climbed above 5% last week, reaching its highest level in about 24 years, as investors expressed worry about the country’s debt, weak economic growth and government spending. The extra costs for improving schools could therefore be hard to accommodate as the government works on its 2027 budget.
The government has said it intends to address the students’ concerns while preserving public order. The demonstrations occur roughly six months before France’s next presidential election, adding a political dimension to the unrest. The government and far-right nationalist National Rally have accused lawmakers and mayors from the left-wing France Unbowed party of encouraging the protests, an allegation the party rejects.
For now, the student movement is focused on education-related concerns, including staffing shortages, school conditions and the length of the school day. With protests continuing across France and the government committed to putting forward proposals by the end of October, the coming weeks are set to determine whether negotiations bring about the easing of demonstrations or continue with school blockades and street protests.
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