Student protests escalate in France, up to 500 schools suspend classes and more than 5,000 arrested

The escalation of student protests and clashes with police has led to up to 500 schools in France being partially or completely closed on Monday.

Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced that classes would be temporarily suspended at around 400–500 high schools because security conditions were not suitable. He also said that, since the protests began, 24 schools had been burned or suffered serious damage.

The protest movement began last week in Paris and later spread to other cities, including Montpellier, Nantes and Marseille. Students are protesting the shortage of teachers, the high number of students in classrooms and the poor condition of school buildings.

According to Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, by Friday, 735 of the approximately 3,700 schools across the country had been affected by violent protests.

Geffray said that 78 education workers had been injured and warned that the developments posed a threat to the safety of staff and students. He also accused people he described as activists, particularly those from the radical left, of becoming involved in the student movement and encouraging acts of violence.

Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that 1,747 people had been arrested on Friday alone. AFP reports that the total number of arrests since the protests began has exceeded 5,000, while around 85% of those arrested are minors.

Organizers have called for the protests to continue on Tuesday, criticizing the government for its lack of concrete action.

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said the authorities were taking measures to respond to the concerns of students and education workers. The plan includes ensuring that classes can take place, improving school facilities, reorganizing the school day and increasing transparency on the university admissions platform.

At the same time, the government is accelerating its review of the bill known as “vandal pays,” which provides that those responsible for material damage must pay the resulting cost.