Valérie Pécresse reports vandalism at fifteen Paris-area high schools amid protests

Student protests across Île-de-France resulted in 164 arrests around school premises, according to officials. Valérie Pécresse announced that fifteen high schools have been vandalized, raising worries about the financial burden of repairs and possible cuts to educational programs. She cited a case where a student at Paul Éluard in Saint-Denis was sprayed with hydrochloric acid, and a separate incident where a principal was struck by fireworks debris.

Pécresse emphasized the stress on teachers and staff and urged a return to peace following a day that saw twenty injuries. She also criticized what she described as political instrumentalisation of the unrest, linking it to calls from LFI on social media. The protests, which began over overcrowded classes and staffing shortages, have now spread to other regions.