The student protests that rocked France last week have prompted authorities to keep up to 500 schools closed on Monday. More protests are planned for Tuesday.
The school protests have spread nationwide, as here in LyonImage: Laurent Cipriani/AP Photo/picture alliance
The protests by pupils complaining of poor conditions began at one Paris school on September 17 but last week mutated into sometimes violent demonstrations across the nation.
France students protest school conditions
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Why are the schools staying closed?
Education Minister Edouard Geffray said on Sunday that lessons would be totally or partly suspended in some 400 to 500 high schools on Monday, as the security conditions "have not been fulfilled."
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According to Geffray, the schools were being closed mainly as a precaution, with more large protests planned for Tuesday.
Geffray said the number of schools remaining closed on Monday would be similar to that on Friday but that there was planned to be a "partial, progressive return to lessons."
He said 24 schools had been "burned or ransacked" and 78 education staff members injured since the protests began.
"There are activists — particularly from the far left — who have infiltrated the high school student movement, hijacked it from the students themselves, and engaged in extreme violence," Geffray said.
"Clearly, this poses a risk to both our staff and our students," he added.
Several schools have been damaged amid the protestsImage: CLPRESS/ABACA/picture alliance
Valerie Pecresse, the president of the Ile-de-France region surrounding the capital, said that more than a third of the 468 schools in the region would be shut on Monday.
What are the school protesters saying?
The protesting teenagers at French upper high schools, called lycees, have complained of high rates of absenteeism by teachers, school days that are too long and dilapidated facilities.
They have also protested at the lack of adequate cooling on hot summer days, with some towns seeing temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit) last summer in a country without widespread air conditioning.
Organizers have called for the protests to continue on Tuesday, saying the government was still failing to propose "concrete measures" to remedy the situation.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu urged local authorities to make it a priority to fill gaps left by long-term absences and unfilled posts.
He also called a meeting for Tuesday with regional presidents to discuss renovating school buildings that are often in poor condition.
Protest over dilapidated schools, teacher shortages and overcrowded classrooms have spread across the country. Some demonstrations have turned violent.
Image: Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP
France's schools are rebelling
Since Friday, teenagers have been taking to the streets outside various schools in Lille, Lyon and Saint-Denis. The students are protesting dilapidated buildings, overcrowded classrooms, a shortage of teachers and stressful exams. Local blockades have given rise to a nationwide movement that is increasing pressure on the French government. And discontent continues to grow across the country.
Image: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP
76 Injured in the protests
The protests are taking a more serious turn. Education Minister Édouard Geffray says 76 people were injured, including students and police officers. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reports about 440 arrests during Tuesday’s demonstrations, most involving minors. Authorities also say that in seven incidents, hydrochloric acid was allegedly thrown at police officers during clashes.
Students are complaining about oversized classes and a shortage of teachers. While the government describes the blockades as irresponsible, it acknowledges that the difficulties at the lycées must be taken seriously. OECD data show that the share of the French budget allocated to education has recently declined.
Image: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP
Protest against the austerity budget
The unrest comes at a delicate time for France. On Thursday, the government plans to present its 2027 budget. Spending cuts are expected to ease the strain on public finances. Student protests and a public-sector strike are increasing the pressure. The debate over funding for education is thus becoming part of a broader conflict over France’s austerity measures as a whole.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray has reacted strongly to the riots and announced legal consequences. "This violence is unspeakable," he said. Anyone who legitimizes or calls for further blockades is endangering students as well as public service employees. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu also warned against escalation and called the protests irresponsible.
Image: Raphael Lafargue/ABACA/IMAGO
"We're being neglected"
Anger is particularly intense in Seine-Saint-Denis. Hundreds of students are gathering in front of the Lycée Paul-Éluard. Many young people there feel they are at a disadvantage when it comes to education and resources. Sixteen-year-old Victoire describes the conditions at her school as dire. Her complaint: "We, the children of the suburbs, are abandoned and neglected."
Image: Raphael Lafargue/ABACA/IMAGO
Public sector workers take to the streets
In Paris, Marseille, Lille, and other cities, thousands of civil servants and public-sector employees demonstrated for higher salaries. They warned of the consequences of years of austerity measures. Firefighters also participated en masse in the rallies. According to union figures, about 8,000 firefighters took part.
Image: Julien Mattia/Le Pictorium/IMAGO
Billions must be saved
France's national debt has reached a record high, forcing the government to take action. But any austerity plan is politically explosive. Lecornu must cut billions without sparking new social protests. At the same time, President Emmanuel Macron's camp does not have a majority in Parliament. The budget thus threatens to become yet another political test.
As with the previous budget, Lecornu is seeking support outside the government camp. The prime minister is particularly keen to find common ground with the Socialists in order to get the budget through Parliament. However, there is little room for maneuver: The presidential election is coming up next spring. Radical cuts could further exacerbate the social discontent that is already palpable.
On Sunday, a 16-year-old was detained after a 59-year-old teacher was hit and doused with gasoline on the sidelines of a protest in the southern town of La Ciotat.
Last week, a group of young people was filmed beating and kicking a policeman on the ground in the eastern town of Belfort.
The Frenchbranch of rights group Amnesty International last week described the action taken by police as "disproportionate."
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez has, however, defended security forces, saying they were "not cracking down on young people" but rather "protecting" school and university students wishing to "peacefully voice their demands."
Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher
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