Riot police clashed with high school students across France on Friday, October 2, as protests over education standards, staff shortages and school funding turned increasingly violent. Fires were reported in several cities, while hundreds of schools were disrupted or closed.
The protests, which began in the Paris region last week, have now spread to cities including Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes, Rennes and Strasbourg. French authorities said 735 of the country’s 3,700 schools had been affected in some way.
Nearly 2,000 arrested as violence spreads
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 1,747 people were arrested on Friday, while Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said around 2,000 people had been arrested since the protests began, most of them teenagers.
Darmanin said the movement had moved from high school demonstrations to a public order problem. He also said parents could be made to pay for damage caused by their children.
In Pantin, near Paris, protesters set items, including fences, on fire and threw firecrackers and other objects at riot police. Police also made several arrests. Tear gas was used in Strasbourg, while fireworks were directed at police in Marseille. Rubbish bins were set on fire in Rennes and Paris.
Police also displayed items seized from protesters, including petrol bombs, an axe and mortar fireworks.
Police officer attacked during protest
One of the most serious incidents took place in Belfort, where a 17-year-old was arrested on suspicion of attempted homicide after a police officer was attacked.
Video verified by BBC Verify showed a group of young men chasing the officer before he fell to the ground. The officer was then punched and kicked several times in the head.
The unrest has also affected school staff. The Education Ministry said at least 65 staff members, including 40 headteachers, have been injured.
School buildings have suffered major damage as well. In Nantes, Nelson Mandela High School reportedly suffered more than 2 million in damage after a fire destroyed its glass entrance and damaged parts of the building.
Students demand better school conditions
Students say they are protesting against overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, long school hours, hot classrooms and poorly maintained buildings.
The anger has also been linked to planned education budget cuts. Under the draft 2027 budget, education spending is set to rise by 1.7% to 65.53 billion, excluding teacher pensions. The increase is below the expected inflation rate.
Some parents have backed the students. Vincent Martin joined his daughter at a Paris school and said students were right to demand better learning conditions. Others are worried about their children being caught in the violence.
At one school in southern Paris, a mother told AFP she had banned her son from attending the protest because she feared the situation could get worse.
Unions back students as political row grows
Several education and public-sector unions, including SNEP-FSU, SNUEP-FSU and Solidaires, have supported the protests. Unions have also called for a teachers’ strike on Tuesday.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray said the movement had been taken over by people who were not students, adding that some teachers had told him the protesters outside their schools were not their pupils.
Intelligence officials told a government crisis meeting that politicians from the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) had helped start the movement. LFI leaders rejected this and accused the government of using the protests for political purposes ahead of next year’s presidential election.
Rights groups have also criticised police tactics, including the use of batons, tear gas and non-lethal flash-ball guns against minors. The Interior Ministry has opened three investigations into police violence.
The protests come about six months before the next presidential election and at a time when President Emmanuel Macron’s government is facing low public support. The unrest has also begun spreading outside France, with high school students in Liege, Belgium, joining protests and several schools closing.
