France Student Protests Spread as Nearly 5,000 Arrested
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. Nearly 5,000 people have been arrested, more than 600 police officers injured and property damage has climbed into the tens of millions of euros as student protests over teacher shortages , deteriorating facilities and reports of rats in classrooms spread across France, prompting Paris police to warn that the movement is "being overtaken by violence."
The warning came Saturday in an open letter published by the Paris Police Prefecture, as authorities prepared for more protests following days of clashes that have disrupted hundreds of schools and led to injuries among students, teachers and police officers.
In the letter, Patrice Faure, the Paris police chief, argued that the movement's original goals had been eclipsed by unrest.
Newsweek has reached out to the French Ministry of Education for comment via email outside of regular hours.
"The aspirations of our youth have been diverted from their original purpose. Their movement is now caught up in violence and excesses that it did not initiate, did not foresee, and over which it no longer appears to have control,” according to a translated version.
Security officials are particularly concerned about a nationwide day of demonstrations planned for Tuesday.
The movement began in the Paris suburbs before rapidly spreading across France, fueled by complaints about teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, aging infrastructure and a lack of resources. Students say years of underinvestment have left many schools struggling to provide adequate learning conditions.
Some of the most vivid complaints emerged from schools in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, where demonstrations first drew national attention. Students at the Paul-Éluard and Bartholdi high schools described deteriorating facilities, absent teachers and poor maintenance.
"There are cockroaches and rats everywhere in the school," a 17-year-old student Reuters identified as Fadila said during demonstrations. The student also described classrooms that could become sweltering in warm weather and freezing in winter.
Students quoted by L'Humanité said they were protesting for "the right to education and dignity" and accused authorities of responding to their concerns with police force rather than investments in schools.
"The only response to our demands is police violence?" a 16-year-old student identified as Ayeb told the publication. "Is that the image the state wants to send to us, the adults of tomorrow?"
While students and education advocates have focused on conditions inside schools, authorities have increasingly emphasized violence linked to the demonstrations. Earlier this week, the French government said disruption had affected hundreds of schools nationwide. Education officials also reported injuries among staff and significant damage at more than 100 high schools.
Edouard Geffray, France's education minister, has acknowledged that some student concerns are legitimate while condemning what officials describe as urban violence surrounding the protests. The ministry previously reported that education had been disrupted at hundreds of schools across the country.
In his letter, Faure urged students to abandon school blockades and return to peaceful forms of protest, arguing that violence was undermining the movement's original aims.
Students' concerns required "concrete responses," he wrote, while arguing that the movement was being "held hostage by ultra-violent fringe groups."
Student organizations have called for another nationwide day of demonstrations on Tuesday, setting up a fresh challenge for Emmanuel Macron's government as officials try to restore order while facing demands for greater investment in schools, more teachers and improved learning conditions.
Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here.
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