French student protests turn violent as hundreds of schools close

Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced the closure of more than 400 schools on Friday as student protests demanding improved learning conditions turned increasingly violent across France, with clashes erupting in Strasbourg and Paris and officials accusing far-left groups of hijacking the movement, according to broadcaster BFMTV.

Clashes escalate in Strasbourg and Paris

Tensions peaked in Strasbourg where protesters advanced toward the University of Strasbourg campus after being pushed back by security forces outside a high school. Mortar fireworks were reportedly heard during the demonstration while gasoline was used to ignite a fire, and security forces later dispersed crowds with tear gas after projectiles were thrown, with around a dozen individuals dressed in black reportedly present alongside high school and university students.

In Paris, firefighters intervened at blazes set at the entrances of two schools, while police in the Loire region arrested several individuals carrying dangerous objects including a firework stick and a glass-breaking hammer. The prefect of Bouches-du-Rhone told BFMTV that the situation was “incomparable with yesterday,” with “far fewer protesters” on the streets of Marseille despite the ongoing unrest.

Officials blame radical infiltration

Top government officials held an emergency meeting on Thursday afternoon and said that the protests were secretly planned by the far-left La France Insoumise party and affiliated groups, believing the actions had shifted from school blockades to “urban violence,” sources told BFMTV. Geffray stated that 1,207 high schools had been disrupted during the mobilization, with more than 100 suffering severe damage and 65 staff members injured.

Geffray announced Thursday that “a little more than 400 schools” would remain closed Friday “either because fire protection systems have been destroyed or because staff have been deliberately targeted.” He warned that the movement had “changed in nature” and was “being hijacked by violent groups,” noting that 55 high schools had switched to remote learning and the Auvergne-Rhone-Alpes region estimated damages between €25 million and €30 million.

Further mobilization planned

All prefects issued orders Thursday evening banning demonstrations near schools nationwide, according to the Interior Ministry. Several organizations representing the student movement, together with left-wing political groups, have called for a second round of mobilization on Oct. 6 against what they described as police “repression.”