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About 400 French schools closed as some student protests turn violent
On Friday, about 400 schools across France remain closed after student protests over education grievances escalated into violence on Thursday. French Education Minister Edouard Geffray confirmed the closures during a late Thursday interview.
Protests regarding teacher shortages and dilapidated school buildings erupted last month in the Paris region but have spread nationwide. Intelligence agencies alleged hard-left politicians, including members of La France Insoumise , initiated the movement, though LFI lawmaker Louis Boyard denied the claim.
Unrest intensified Thursday as protesters set fires at two high schools, while teachers in Marseille were inadvertently "doused in petrol." Rioters torched a car in Strasbourg and clashed with police in Toulouse.
Geffray scheduled meetings with staff unions, parent associations, and student organizations on Friday to address grievances and the escalating violence. The sessions aim to find resolution amid ongoing unrest.
The protests have spread nationwide from the Paris region, with police making hundreds of arrests and injuring demonstrators. One student sign questioned, "Can we explain ourselves without being teargassed?" capturing the movement's frustration.
More than 400 schools have been closed in FRANCE after student protests over the state of education escalated into a wave of violence and clashes with the police.