French secondary students' protests over teacher cuts turn violent across dozens of schools
Teenagers in France have escalated demonstrations against proposed teacher reductions, leading to clashes, injuries and several school fires.
French secondary pupils started protesting two weeks ago after the government announced a budget that would eliminate 1,200 teaching positions, sparking outrage over already strained resources. While early actions involved blocking school entrances and chanting slogans, the situation deteriorated into violent confrontations, with police using tear gas and rubber bullets. Officials report 78 teachers and 300 police officers injured, and 24 schools set ablaze or looted.
Over 5,000 students have been placed in custody, many of them minors. The education minister pledged reforms to address teacher shortages, but student unions and left-wing parties say the measures are insufficient and blame the government for inciting the unrest.
Why it matters
The protests highlight deep tensions in France's education system and could disrupt schooling for thousands of students.
How this story developed
- Sep 28 Education Minister urges calm as high-school blockades turn violent in Île-de-France
- Sep 30 Authorities reported 440 arrests and 76 injuries as blockades spread to hundreds of schools.
- Oct 1 Arrests rose to 625 and a fire broke out at the Nelson‑Mandela lycée in Nantes.
- Oct 1 Mass arrests were made during French school demonstrations, with hundreds of police and gendarmes injured and many schools closed.
- Oct 2 Prime minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a crisis meeting in response to the escalating protests.
- Oct 3 Students set fires and sprayed petrol on a teacher during the latest clashes.
- Oct 4 The unrest has crossed the border into Belgium, affecting schools in Liège.
- Oct 4 The plan, drawn from recent academic council feedback, sets five main tasks: keep classes running, give staff tools to help pupils succeed, ensure dignified teaching conditions and prepare schools for heat waves, better organise daily schedules, make the Parcoursup post-baccalaureate platform more transparent and amplify student voices. Ministers are instructed to start prioritising the replacement of long-term absences and vacant positions immediately, with a progress report expected soon. A meeting with regional presidents will focus on school-building renovations, and the education budget for 2027 has been increased. Lecornu also called for classes to resume wherever safety permits and pledged zero tolerance for violence against students, staff, police and gendarmes.
- Oct 4 The French education ministry announced that between 400 and 500 secondary schools will be fully or partially closed on Monday because of ongoing teenage protests.
- Oct 4 Student bodies are preparing a fresh nationwide mobilisation on Tuesday.
- Oct 4 The education ministry announced the planned suspension of classes at up to 500 schools for Monday.
- Oct 5 A 15-year-old student was hospitalized in Lens after a flash grenade exploded in his hand during ongoing high-school demonstrations in France.
- Oct 5 The prime minister issued a directive that high‑school classes may resume where security and building conditions allow.
- Oct 5 An IGPN inquiry into the grenade incident has been launched.
In this story
Related stories
21 in this thread