Lucrezia Ciotti Student protests continue to shake France , where demonstrations against school conditions have spread to hundreds of schools, including blockades, clashes , and fires. From Marseille to Nantes, student demonstrations have called for police intervention, while the government has called a crisis meeting to address the escalating tensions.
Student protests spread across France
The student mobilization continues to spread in France and, after an initial phase concentrated mainly in the Paris area, has reached numerous cities across the country. The Union syndicale lycéenne has promoted a new day of protest, dubbed " act two " by its president Riyadh Rani , while another day of mobilization has been announced for October 6.
The initiatives are also supported by major student organizations, including FAGE, Union étudiante, and UNEF. Their demands include increased resources for education, replacement of absent teachers, renovation of school buildings, and "decent" learning conditions.
According to data provided by Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez, the riots affected 356 schools , compared to 338 the previous day.
Since the blockades began, 119 students and school staff have been injured , while at least 83 police officers have been injured. On the day in question alone, 625 arrests were made . The protests have also begun to involve universities: several universities have been blocked, including facilities in Strasbourg, Poitiers, Nanterre, Montpellier, and Saint-Denis.
Student protests escalate in France: principal doused in gasoline and high school set on fire
The mobilization was accompanied by violent incidents in several locations. The situation was particularly serious in Marseille , where, according to a report by the PACA Region , several members of the school administration were attacked in front of the Victor Hugo high school: " the principal, the vice-principal, the general secretary, and another school team leader were attacked inside the school and doused with gasoline ." In the same city, a fire truck was reportedly surrounded and set on fire near the Saint-Exupéry high school. Also in Marseille, the RTM transport company suspended its metro, tram, and bus services following several assaults on employees and the burning of a bus.
In Nantes , a fire broke out inside the Nelson Mandela high school , while in Toulouse, a fire on a tram track caused traffic disruption. In Pas-de-Calais, 37 more people were arrested , and in Auchel, a school principal was injured after a firecracker hit him in the ear. In the Nice and Antibes area , authorities reported 50 arrests, while the Marseille prosecutor's office reported another 15-20 arrests, mostly involving minors.
Three investigations into student injuries in France
Alongside the management of public order, the issue of police intervention remains open. The Police Inspectorate has opened three investigations after several students were injured during blockades in the municipalities of Sevran, Saint-Ouen-L'Aumône, and Tours. In Tours, a young man was hospitalized after suffering a serious head injury . According to the prosecutor, the injuries were " compatible " with the impact of an LBD, the self-defense projectile launcher used by law enforcement.
Nuñez maintained that the police intervened " with great proportionality ." Meanwhile, the government is trying to open a channel of dialogue with the students: Education Minister Édouard Geffray has announced a " consultation platform , " in which high school students will be able to participate. Faced with the spread of the protests, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has convened an inter-ministerial crisis meeting at the Ministry of the Interior to assess the situation and coordinate the authorities' response.