About 400 French schools closed as some student protests turn violent
The government said violent fringe groups have hijacked the protests, while officials reported 2,000 detentions and injuries to 170 students.
- On Friday, about 400 schools across France remain closed after student protests over education grievances escalated into violence on Thursday. French Education Minister Edouard Geffray confirmed the closures during a late Thursday interview.
- Protests regarding teacher shortages and dilapidated school buildings erupted last month in the Paris region but have spread nationwide. Intelligence agencies alleged hard-left politicians, including members of La France Insoumise , initiated the movement, though LFI lawmaker Louis Boyard denied the claim.
- Unrest intensified Thursday as protesters set fires at two high schools, while teachers in Marseille were inadvertently "doused in petrol." Rioters torched a car in Strasbourg and clashed with police in Toulouse.
- Geffray scheduled meetings with staff unions, parent associations, and student organizations on Friday to address grievances and the escalating violence. The sessions aim to find resolution amid ongoing unrest.
- The protests have spread nationwide from the Paris region, with police making hundreds of arrests and injuring demonstrators. One student sign questioned, "Can we explain ourselves without being teargassed?" capturing the movement's frustration.
243 Articles
243 Articles
Nearly 400 high schools were closed out of the 3700 in France on Friday, with unions and students demanding more funding.
In an unprecedented way, the prefects were prompted to take orders prohibiting demonstrations "at the edge" of the high schools most disturbed by the blockages. Four hundred of them remained closed on Friday, with distance courses for some.
The movement against lack of resources and teachers was inflamed the day before.
There is an argument that the outbreaks of destructive protests are a traditional feature of French civilization, rather than a contradiction of it. But the protests of this week's high school students, with fires at schools across the country and videos on social networks that show a policeman chased by young people and hit with his feet, an elderly teacher beaten for trying to stop the fires and a woman burned in the face with an improvised fl…
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 42% of the sources are Center
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
