400 French schools closed on Friday as protests escalate into ‘urban violence’ – Europe live
Protests by French high school students have escalated into widespread urban violence, leading to the closure of 400 schools and significant property damage. The government has expressed concern for student safety as thousands have been detained.
Why it matters
The scale of the unrest and the government's response indicate a significant social and political crisis within the French education system.
Some 100 schools have been severely damaged during French high school protests that escalated this week into “urban violence,” with 40 headteachers injured, according to the latest figures from the French education ministry.
French high school students gather outside the Lycee Voltaire high school in France. The pupils’ grievances range from overloaded timetables and overcrowded classes to insufficient teachers and unbearable temperatures during heatwaves earlier this year. Riot police have been deployed to confront the increasingly violent protests.
Nearly 3,000 lycée students – aged between 15 and 18 – have been detained since the start of the protests, including 1,949 on Thursday alone, the interior ministry said.
Also covering this story
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