French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu has suspended high school classes nationwide for the rest of the week as student-led protests demanding education reforms spiral into violent clashes with police.
Authorities said around 250,000 people joined demonstrations across the country on Tuesday, though organisers claimed closer to 500,000. The High School Students Union reported nearly 2,000 schools were blockaded or closed.
In Paris, Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler observed a widening coalition of demonstrators: “We’re seeing people from various unions like the farmers’ union, energy workers, teachers’ unions, who have also said they’re going to come out in support of the students.”
Parents joined rallies, voicing concern about “troublemakers who may infiltrate the protests and excessive police force.”
Placards in Marseille, Nantes and Lyon read “they don’t really care about us” and “survive or study.” In Strasbourg, Rennes and Lyon, protests turned violent, with tear gas fired, fires lit and projectiles hurled.
“When the answer is violence, it means democracy is no longer working,” said Hugo Vetzel, a recent graduate in Strasbourg.
The unrest began two weeks ago in Paris’s poorest suburbs and has since spread nationwide. Lecornu condemned arson attacks on schools, saying: “Burning down a high school does not improve the state of high school buildings.” He pledged repairs to ageing campuses and ordered ministers to address student demands by the end of October.
The Interior Ministry reported 6,100 arrests since the protests began, most under 18. The Justice Ministry confirmed more than 1,800 prosecutions, including 1,483 minors. Lecornu said at least 215 teenagers and 715 police officers have been injured.
With classes suspended and tensions mounting, France faces mounting pressure to deliver swift reforms while restoring order.