In brief
In France, several high schools have caught fire as students and university participants block school campuses in a wave of demonstrations demanding better funding, more teachers and improved facilities. Fires broke out in Nantes, Rouen, Marseille and other cities, with flames spreading from rubbish bins and petrol. The government has called a crisis meeting and labelled the unrest as urban violence, while police arrested hundreds and injured dozens. Political leaders from the left and right have blamed each other, and the protests threaten to spill over into the upcoming national election.
Fires have erupted at several French schools as students blockades spread nationwide, citing a lack of teachers, overcrowded classrooms and old buildings.
Incidents were reported in Nantes where two high schools caught fire after a bin was set alight, and in Rouen where a blaze engulfed the entrance to a school. In Marseille, students allegedly poured petrol onto staff, and a headteacher in Auchel was injured by a stray firework.
University campuses added to the unrest, with dozens of campuses blockaded across the country, and public transport in Marseille and Strasbourg was halted to prevent protesters from moving freely.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a crisis meeting after the fires, calling the demonstrations “urban violence.” Police officials said 600 people were arrested by noon on Thursday and 83 officers were injured.
Students say the protests are driven by frustration over a zero budget, insufficient supervisors and failing infrastructure. “The building is falling apart, the cafeteria is too small. There is zero budget, zero resources,” 17‑year‑old Raphael said after a barricade threatened tram tracks in Strasbourg.
Political leaders have split over the cause of the violence. Marseille’s LFI‑aligned mayor Benoît Payan condemned the “unacceptable violence,” while right‑wing leader Marine Le Pen called for a new anti‑riot law and blamed left‑wing activists for the unrest.
With elections looming, the protests have become a focal point of political discourse, as parties collide over responsibility for the growing turbulence in France’s education sector.
