Schools in France are being sucked into the wave of protests that are taking hold across the country. ITV News’ Europe Editor James Mates has the latest.
Students in France set fires and barricaded buildings on Thursday as hundreds of demonstrations against school conditions continued across the country.
In Paris, police used tear gas to disperse protesters as several barricades burned outside schools.
The demonstration is part of a broader student movement calling for more funding for schools across France, with similar scenes also taking place in cities like Lille, Nantes, Rennes and Marseille.
Authorities in Paris reported dozens of injuries, including from hurled objects but also, in some suspected cases, from police riot-control projectiles.
At one high school where students barricaded an entrance, Salama Gargouri, 18, said protesters were standing against “overloaded schedules, the system, the teachers, people who don’t listen to us, the university application process”.
High school students in France often start classes at 8 am and remain there until late afternoon.
Janna Tahari, another Paris high school student, said: “Older people say, ‘Kids, go to school from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day.’ But you don’t know what that does mentally.”
In Lille, protesters set rubbish bins and electric bikes on fire on Wednesday, which was the fourth consecutive day of demonstrations.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray said Thursday’s violence included a school set on fire and staff doused with gasoline, and issued instructions for classes be held remotely.
He said 65 members of staff had been injured in the demonstrations.
“I appeal to parents: do not let your children put themselves in danger,” Geffray wrote on X.
“Protecting our students and our staff is our absolute priority. Tomorrow, more than 400 schools will therefore be closed.
“Classes will be provided remotely: students must be able to continue learning, safely.”
The protests are quickly blowing up as a hot topic in the election campaign to replace President Emmanuel Macron next May, who is constitutionally barred from seeking a third consecutive term, and heightening pressure on the government also beset by France’s growing financial problems.
Far-left presidential hopeful Jean-Luc Mélenchon has decried the government response to the protests as repressive, but critics have accused his of trying to score points in the presidential campaign and incite violence.
The office of Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said he asked ministers to cancel any planned official trips in the coming days, to enable authorities and police to focus on dealing with the demonstrations.
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