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Nationwide protests disrupted classes

Education protests in France brought students face to face with security forces in multiple locations on Friday. According to officials, more than 700 schools across the country were affected; classes were disrupted in some places, while the entrances and surrounding areas of some buildings were targeted.

Demonstrations that began in Paris last week later spread to other cities including Montpellier, Nantes and Marseille. Students took to the streets over a teacher shortage, overcrowded classrooms, long school hours, overheated classrooms and neglected buildings. Planned spending cuts expected to affect the education budget were also among the issues fueling the backlash.

Where did tensions flare on Friday?

In Pantin, a suburb of Paris, police intervened and made arrests after objects were thrown at officers. In Strasbourg, tear gas was used amid concerns that conditions could worsen further. In Rennes and Paris, rubbish bins were set on fire.

The Education Ministry said at least 65 staff members were injured during the unrest. The ministry said the facilities suffered significant damage after school doors, entrances and fences were attacked.

Attack in Belfort deepens the investigation

Following an incident in the northeastern city of Belfort in which a police officer was targeted, a 17-year-old was taken into custody on suspicion of attempted murder. In two images verified by BBC Verify, a person later identified by a minister as a police officer is seen being knocked to the ground near a school and struck repeatedly on the head.

  • Photos released by police showed items seized from protesters, including a Molotov cocktail, an axe and firework-style explosive devices.
  • A fire at Nelson Mandela High School in Nantes caused damage worth more than €2 million after its glass entrance area and parts of the interior were destroyed, according to reports.

Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said nearly 2,000 people, most of them children, have been detained since the movement began. Darmanin said he wanted prosecutors to seek for parents to be held responsible for damage caused by their children and asked to cover repair costs.

Government and unions send mixed messages

Education Minister Édouard Geffray argued that the protests were being driven by groups that were not students. He said teachers had told him that the people at the front of the demonstrations were not their own pupils.

Families, meanwhile, are worried about their children being caught in a violent environment. A parent looking for his son at Claude Monet school in southern Paris told AFP they feared the situation could escalate.

Sixteen-year-old Lola told AFP, "The police have no right to hit us or use gas on us."

Meanwhile, unions including SNEP-FSU, SNUEP-FSU and Solidaires called on students to support the protests. The unrest has increased pressure on President Emmanuel Macron's government six months before next year's presidential election.

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