Education Minister orders remote classes amid escalating high school blockades across France

On Thursday, high school blockades multiplied throughout France, with several sites experiencing serious disturbances such as the burning of a school hall in Nantes and staff being doused with gasoline. Education Minister Edouard Geffray described the violence as extremely grave and unrelated to any legitimate demand, urging that classes be delivered remotely whenever blockades or damage prevent safe attendance. He emphasized that each school principal will determine the appropriate response.

The minister reported that 119 students and staff have been injured since the recent wave of protests. In reaction, a interministerial crisis cell was activated, and ministers have been instructed to suspend travel until next Monday. Police reports indicated 340 actions and 169 blockades in the morning, with over 200 schools affected in the Île-de-France region, including about fifty sites marked by violence and vandalism.