Violent protests erupt across France over school overcrowding and teacher shortages
Student-led protests over overcrowded classrooms and understaffed schools began in Paris and spread rapidly to major cities across France. The unrest resulted in over 2,000 arrests, 76 injuries, and disruptions affecting 735 schools nationwide. The government blamed far-left opposition for encouraging the demonstrations, though the movement's leaders disputed this characterization.
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A wave of secondary school protests that began in Paris last week rapidly escalated across France, spreading to Lyon, Lille, Strasbourg, Marseille, Montpellier, Nantes and Dijon as it merged with broader public-sector strikes. On a single day, Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported 1,747 arrests, with the overall total exceeding 2,000. Most of those detained were minors. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin characterized the situation as a "public order disturbance," reporting that 735 of France's 3,700 lycées had been affected by the unrest.
Students cited deteriorating school conditions as the driving force behind the protests: infestations of cockroaches and rats, unstable heating and cooling systems, and a perception of inequitable treatment compared with schools in wealthier districts. Education Minister Édouard Geffray confirmed that 76 people, including students and staff, had sustained injuries. These included a young man who suffered partial loss of hand function after accidentally igniting a mortar firework and a teacher who was assaulted. Fires burned outside schools in Strasbourg and Saint-Denis, while police deployed tear gas to disperse crowds in Dijon.
The crisis has become entangled with national politics ahead of next year's presidential election. Intelligence agencies briefed a government crisis meeting indicating that La France Insoumise was actively encouraging participation in the protests, a claim several ministers repeated. Party leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon rejected this characterization, stating the protests were "self-organised." Unions announced plans for additional nationwide protests, suggesting that with a 2027 budget featuring spending cuts looming, the unrest is unlikely to subside quickly.
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