Students Set Fire to Nantes School Hall Amid Nationwide Lycée Blockades
A deliberate fire destroyed the entrance hall of Nantes' Nelson-Mandela lycée during ongoing student blockades across several French cities.
On Thursday morning, a fire—described as intentional—engulfed the entrance hall of the Nelson-Mandela public lycée in Nantes, a school serving more than 1,700 pupils. The blaze spread along the building’s façade before firefighters, on the scene by 10 a.m., brought it under control. The incident unfolded amid a wave of lycée blockades that began on Tuesday and have now spread to Paris, Marseille, Strasbourg and Rennes, where the Bréquigny lycée was also sealed off by demonstrators.
Gaëlle Cordier, the school’s deputy head, confirmed the fire’s deliberate nature but gave no further details on its origin. In response to the growing unrest, education authorities announced a new “platform of consultation” that will allow any high-school student to contribute ideas aimed at ending the protests.
Why it matters
The incident highlights escalating student unrest in France, threatening school safety and prompting government intervention.
How this story developed
- Sep 28 Education Minister urges calm as high-school blockades turn violent in Île-de-France
- Sep 28 Ministers issued a warning that police will intervene if the blockades become violent.
- Sep 29 Around ten Paris high schools faced blockage attempts on Tuesday with no reported violence or injuries.
- Sep 30 Authorities reported 440 arrests and 76 injuries as blockades spread to hundreds of schools.
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