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About 400 French schools closed as some student protests turn violent

The unrest began over teacher shortages and poor school conditions, and officials said 2,000 people were arrested as the protests spread nationwide.

  • 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.
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Center

On Friday, October 2, the Ministry of Education decided to close 400 high schools, more than one in ten, with students who have deadlines, starting with the baccalaureate. Some schools are already considering distance courses to respond to the concerns of teenagers and their families. If the movement continues, it will be necessary to go beyond the homework to be done at home and to put in place virtual classes as at the time of the Covid. (Soci…

Lean Right

The closure of 400 institutes, as well as the prohibition to demonstrate in front of them, has proved insufficient to stop the protests of high school students in France. This Friday there were blockades or other actions of response in 735 educational centers, according to the Ministry of Education. In some of the institutes there were clashes between youth and riot police, as well as numerous scenes of urban violence, such as garbage thrown in …

·Madrid, Spain
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Lean Left

Nearly 400 high schools were closed out of the 3700 in France on Friday, with unions and students demanding more funding.

·Montreal, Canada
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Lean Left

In an unprecedented way, the prefects were prompted to take orders prohibiting demonstrations "at the edge" of the high schools most disturbed by the blockages. Four hundred of them remained closed on Friday, with distance courses for some.

·Paris, France
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www.cnews.fr broke the news in Issy-les-Moulineaux, France on Thursday, October 1, 2026.
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