School protests in France sweep through hundreds of educational institutions

Mass protests by high school students continue in France, spreading across the entire country within several days. On Friday, October 2, protests, blockades or other disruptions affected 564 educational institutions, according to the French Ministry of Education.

Around 400 lycées were fully closed on Friday, with some switching to distance learning. A day earlier the scale of protests was significantly larger: on October 1, various actions impacted more than a thousand schools—about every fourth high school in the country, writes Le Monde.

The movement began in late September in the Paris suburbs and then quickly spread to other regions. The protesters demand increased funding for education, faster replacement of absent teachers, reduced class overcrowding and improved condition of school buildings.

Other cited reasons for discontent include tight scheduling and pressure related to the Parcoursup university admission system. As noted by ZDF, dissatisfaction with the state of the French education system had been accumulating for a long time, but the current movement quickly gained a nationwide scale.

University students have begun joining the high schoolers. In some cities, the protests involved blocking entrances to educational institutions, arson, and clashes with police.

The situation became most tense on October 1. According to French authorities, 1,949 people were arrested in a 24-hour period. More than 300 police officers, gendarmes and firefighters sustained injuries. Casualties among students and educational staff were also reported.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez ordered the deployment of special police units CRS and mobile gendarmerie to maintain order. Authorities stated that some actions had evolved from school protests into urban riots.

At the same time, student representatives and trade unions criticize the harsh police tactics. Videos of arrests and clashes near schools circulated on social media, intensifying the debate in France over the proportionality of force.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray is holding meetings on October 2 with trade unions, parents' organizations and representatives of high school students. The government hopes to reduce tensions and discuss the protesters' demands.