Hooded group sets fire to high school near Toulouse during France's national strike

Attack on a high school during the strike

On Thursday, 5 November, as a national strike got under way across France, about thirty hooded people entered the Françoise high school in Tournefeuille, a town near Toulouse in the southwest, according to the prefecture of Haute-Garonne. The group reportedly set fire to the school life office in the main hall and launched fireworks and mortar rounds inside the grounds. Around 8:00 the intruders had already entered the site, and state services described them as particularly violent, equipped and prepared. The damage was serious but was limited to that office, according to the reports. No one was injured, and the school stayed closed for the rest of the day.

Firefighters and police respond

Firefighters reached the school within minutes of being alerted, and at the height of the response up to 60 firefighters and 14 vehicles were on site. Police, who were already handling other disturbances in the Toulouse area that morning, returned in numbers to disperse the group and secure a cordon that stayed in place until midday. Officers also made arrests, although the reports do not give a number. The prefecture said firefighters were targeted with mortar fire and that attempts were made to steal equipment during operations in the area. The fire was brought under control and then fully put out around 11:00.

The strike and the wider deployment

The day was a national strike and mobilisation, which La Stampa reported was driven by demands over wages and purchasing power. The same Italian report said about 70,000 police officers and gendarmes had been mobilised across France to secure the demonstrations. In Tournefeuille, the attack came as the wider mobilisation was starting, and local authorities drew a clear line between protest and vandalism. Fabrice Rigoulet-Roze and Karim Benmiloud said that no mobilisation should be diverted from its main goal, which they described as putting demands forward in a republican spirit.

Officials and the school community

Fabrice Rigoulet-Roze, the prefect of the Occitanie region, and Karim Benmiloud, the rector of the Toulouse academy, visited the school in the morning to support teachers, pupils and staff. Benmiloud described the attack as unspeakable and extremely violent, and he praised the courage and composure of the headteacher, a woman, who got the students to safety. The school posted on social media that the evacuation took place without incident and that the fire had been contained. Both officials condemned the conduct in firm terms, and their statements focused on pupils' safety and on the staff who handled the evacuation.

Regional reaction and the investigation

Kamel Chibli, vice-president of the Occitanie regional council in charge of education, condemned the attack in strong terms. He said the acts were barbaric and that they would cost the local authority a great deal.

“Attacking a high school is attacking the Republic and our country.”

Chibli also said he would hand surveillance footage to the authorities so that the perpetrators could be identified. Authorities are investigating the fire, and the reports do not say whether any suspects have been identified.