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School student demonstrations in France over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and heavy workloads have intensified. According to the Education Ministry, the protests have affected at least 400 secondary schools across the country.
Operative Information Center-OMM reports that foreign media outlets carried the information.
Official authorities said more than 10 teachers, numerous students and 48 law-enforcement officers were injured in clashes between protesters and security forces.
France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 440 people had been detained during the demonstrations, including 164 who had been placed in pretrial detention.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned against further escalation after the detentions, calling it “irresponsible”:
“The launching of fireworks near schools, the setting of fires and acts of violence can under no circumstances justify endangering the lives of students, staff or police officers.”
According to the French press, demonstrators threw various objects and fireworks at police, while officers used tear gas and batons. Reports also said rubbish bins were set on fire in the streets and bus stops were seriously damaged.
A 16-year-old student taking part in a blockade at a secondary school in Lille told AFP that the education system had already “collapsed.” He said each classroom had 34 students and that teachers were struggling under excessive workloads.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray and Interior Minister Laurent Nunez acknowledged the right to protest as a fundamental freedom, but said police intervention had been proportionate and condemned acts of violence. Ryad Rani, a student representative and head of the Union Syndicale Lycéenne organization, accused the government of pressuring young people and police of using excessive force.
France has a large and decentralized public education system, and disputes over staffing, classroom sizes and working conditions have periodically prompted strikes and demonstrations. Student protests are often held alongside actions by teachers’ unions and can affect school operations in major cities.
