French student protests escalate as 356 schools face blockades and universities join

Escalation of secondary school protests

Nationwide student demonstrations against staffing shortages and class sizes expanded across France on Thursday. According to the Ministry of the Interior, protests and blockades affected 338 schools on Tuesday and rose to 356 institutions on Wednesday. High school pupils blocked building entrances using overturned waste containers and ignited fires in several cities. The movement began in the Paris suburbs before spreading to secondary schools in Brittany, Marseille, Lille, and Strasbourg. In Rennes, pupils blocked access to Lycée Bréquigny, the largest high school in Brittany. A student named Lola explained the motive behind the walkouts.

They don't listen to us, we are forced to take to the streets.

Clashes, injuries and property damage

The demonstrations resulted in clashes between protesters and law enforcement, alongside several severe incidents at school facilities. Police arrested 625 people on Wednesday alone, while 83 police officers and gendarmes sustained injuries. The French Education Ministry recorded 119 injuries among pupils and school staff since the mobilization began, including 34 staff members. In Nantes, an intentional fire in the entrance hall of Lycée Nelson-Mandela damaged the facade and forced the school of more than 1,700 pupils to close for several weeks. In Trappes, a fire broke out at Lycée Henri-Matisse after fireworks were discharged, while in Auchel, a vocational high school principal required hospital treatment after being struck near the ear by a firework projectile. At a secondary school in Marseille, the vice-principal and two staff members were sprayed with petrol from containers. The national police oversight body, IGPN, opened three investigations into injuries sustained by pupils during blockades.

University campuses join the mobilization

On Thursday morning, university students expanded the protest movement by blockading approximately 30 higher education campuses. According to the student union Union Étudiante, disruptions affected campuses in Paris, Strasbourg, Marseille, Lyon, Reims, Poitiers, and Nanterre. In Strasbourg, hundreds of pupils blocked traffic and a tram line in front of Lycée Couffignal before setting bins on fire. In Lille, law enforcement deployed tear gas outside Lycée Faidherbe after bus shelters were damaged. While physical access to several universities remained obstructed, university administrators arranged for remote classes to maintain instruction.

Government response and political conflict

In response to the unrest, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened an emergency crisis cell on Thursday. The prime minister's office characterized the protests as urban violence and attributed the mobilization to La France Insoumise and far-left groups following public statements by party leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon. Former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal urged opposition figures to stop using youth as cannon fodder. La France Insoumise coordinator Manuel Bompard rejected the government allegations.

I ask the government not to give in to conspiracy theories or to the infantilisation of high school students. This spontaneous movement arose from exasperation with absolutely unacceptable educational conditions.

The political dispute coincided with the government announcement of its 2027 budget, which plans 54 billion euros in spending reductions to lower the public deficit to 5% of gross domestic product. Education Minister Édouard Geffray scheduled a meeting with student representatives for Friday to address the situation.