Hundreds of French Schools Closed as Student Protests Continue
Authorities in France ordered hundreds of high schools to close after nationwide pupil demonstrations over deteriorating facilities and staff shortages escalated into clashes with police.
French authorities suspended classes fully or partially at up to 500 secondary schools on Monday following days of widespread youth protests. Education Minister Edouard Geffray said on Sunday that the closures were necessary because security conditions were not met across the country. Geffray stated that 24 schools had been set on fire or ransacked during the unrest.
The unrest originated on Sept. 17 at a high school in Creteil, in the southeastern Paris suburbs. Students initially organized walkouts and blockades to protest severe staff shortages, dilapidated buildings, long school days and lack of resources. The demonstrations quickly expanded across the Paris region and spread to other major cities, including Marseille, Lyon, Rennes, Strasbourg and Toulouse.
The situation deteriorated late last week as teenagers set barricades on fire outside school gates. Police responded with tear gas and batons to disperse crowds. In the southern town of La Ciotat, authorities detained a 16-year-old on Sunday in connection with an assault on a 59-year-old teacher who was hit and doused with gasoline during a demonstration.
Government officials said 78 education staff members had been injured since the unrest started. In earlier figures reported by French media, the ministry had cited at least 65 injured staff members alongside roughly 170 injured students. French police have made more than 5,000 arrests nationwide, with about 85 percent involving minors.
Political tensions have grown alongside the school closures. Geffray said far-left activists had infiltrated the student movement and turned it toward violence. Officials also accused the left-wing party France Unbowed of encouraging the disturbances. France Unbowed lawmakers denied the accusation and asserted that the party only supports nonviolent demonstration.
Student representatives accused police of excessive force and pointed to injuries caused by rubber bullets and tear gas. In the Ile-de-France region surrounding Paris, regional president Valerie Pecresse said more than a third of the area's 468 schools would be closed on Monday.
The Education Ministry scheduled a meeting for Tuesday with regional leaders to address funding and building renovations. Student unions and left-wing groups also planned a second nationwide mobilization on Tuesday.
