French students block hundreds of schools nationwide in protests over conditions, clash with police

French students blocked hundreds of schools nationwide on Tuesday in protests over education conditions, with clashes reported in multiple cities.
By evening, 440 people had been detained and 31 injured, including students and staff, according to the Education Ministry. Protests affected 416 schools, with 338 still disrupted and 45 fully blockaded, the ministry said. In Lille, masked students set trash bins alight and threw objects at police, who responded with batons and tear gas. Similar confrontations occurred in Marseille, Bordeaux, and Lyon, where fireworks were hurled at officers.
The demonstrations began last week in the Paris region before spreading. Students cited overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, and dilapidated buildings as grievances. Education Minister Édouard Geffray condemned the violence, calling it “unthinkable” in a post on X. “Legitimizing it or calling for more blockades endangers our students and civil servants,” he wrote. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu also criticized the escalation, accusing the left-wing La France Insoumise party of stoking the unrest.
University students in Paris, Toulouse, and Nice joined the protests, which coincided with a national public sector strike over budget cuts. The Education Ministry estimated damages in the Île-de-France region at €200,000.
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