France closes up to 500 schools over student protests

France’s education minister said on Sunday that lessons would be “totally or partly suspended” in 400 to 500 high schools on Monday because security conditions “have not been fulfilled.” Édouard Geffray’s announcement came after days of clashes between riot police and student protesters, with 24 schools “burned or ransacked” since the start of the unrest.

Wave of protests over education standards

Thousands of students have been demonstrating over education standards, citing a lack of teachers, overcrowded classrooms, and run-down buildings. The protests began last week and have spread from Paris to Montpellier, Nantes, and Marseille. On Friday, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said 735 of France’s 3,700 schools were affected “one way or another” by violent protests. Geffray warned that Monday’s figure could be comparable to Friday’s.

Geffray accused far-left activists of infiltrating the movement. “There are activists – particularly from the far-left – who have infiltrated the high school student movement, hijacked it from the students themselves, and engaged in extreme violence,” he said. “Clearly, this poses a risk to both our staff and our students.” He added that 78 education staff have been wounded, “something we have never seen before.”

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 1,747 people were arrested on Friday, and AFP reported over 5,000 arrests since the movement began, around 85% of them minors. Protest organisers have called for demonstrations to continue on Tuesday, accusing the government of lacking “concrete measures.” Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said the government is taking further steps to address difficulties faced by students and staff, including ensuring classes continue, improving facilities, and making the university admissions platform more transparent. He also said the government is accelerating review of a “vandal-pays” bill to make those responsible for damage bear the cost.