France to close up to 500 schools as student protests continue

Up to 500 secondary schools in France will be fully or partly closed on Monday as student protests continue, Education Minister Edouard Geffray said on Sunday. Geffray said lessons would be suspended at 400 to 500 high schools because security conditions had not been met. He said 24 schools had been burned or ransacked since the movement began, describing Monday’s closures as a precaution before larger demonstrations planned for Tuesday.

Students have protested over teacher absences, long school days and deteriorating facilities, among other complaints. The movement began at a Paris school on September 17 and expanded nationally last week, with violence reported in some locations during clashes involving pupils and security forces. Geffray said the number of schools affected on Monday would be similar to Friday’s figure, while promising a gradual return to lessons.

In the Ile-de-France region around Paris, more than one-third of 468 schools will close, regional president Valerie Pecresse told Franceinfo. The education minister blamed activists, including people he described as far-left, for infiltrating the movement and contributing to violence. He said 78 education workers had been injured and argued that the unrest posed risks to staff and students.

Protest organisers say the government has not offered sufficient concrete measures. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu responded by asking local authorities to prioritise filling long-term vacancies and unfilled positions. He also scheduled a meeting with regional presidents for Tuesday to discuss improving school buildings.

More than 5,000 people, 85 per cent of them minors, have been arrested since the protests began, according to the source material. Critics have accused police of using excessive force, while Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said security forces were protecting students who wanted to demonstrate peacefully. A 16-year-old was detained over the alleged assault of a teacher in La Ciotat.

Separately, two teenagers were arrested in Belfort over suspected aggravated violence against a police officer. Amnesty France called for pupils to be allowed to express their grievances without disproportionate police action.