French school protests spread as 1,747 arrested amid violence

French student protests over teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating school facilities have spread nationwide, disrupting hundreds of secondary schools and drawing a forceful response from police.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said Friday that 1,747 people had been arrested as authorities sought to contain unrest that began in the Paris region late last month. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said 735 of France's 3,700 schools had been affected "one way or another," although earlier reporting put the number of schools facing disruption at more than 500.

What Happened

The protests began with blockades at lycées, French secondary schools generally attended by students aged 15 to 18, and then spread to cities including Nantes, Rouen, Marseille, Strasbourg, Rennes, Lyon, Lille and Montpellier. University students have also joined the action, with blockades reported at about 30 campuses.

Police said more than 160 schools had shut by Thursday because of demonstrations and blockades. In some areas, riot police used tear gas after protesters threw objects at officers. Police made arrests in Pantin, outside Paris, while tear gas was deployed in Strasbourg, according to Reuters reporting cited by the BBC.

The unrest has also involved serious damage. Fires were reported at schools in Nantes and Rouen, and rubbish bins and other objects were set alight in several cities. At Nantes's Nelson Mandela high school, a bin fire spread to the entrance and caused more than €2 million in damage, according to the regional government.

At Victor Hugo high school in Marseille, teachers were splashed with petrol. Al Jazeera reported that local authorities later said the incident happened inadvertently while a student attempted to throw petrol into a rubbish bin. A 17-year-old was arrested in Belfort on suspicion of attempted homicide after a police officer was attacked. BBC Verify authenticated videos showing the officer being chased, then punched and kicked after falling.

The Big Picture

Students say the disruption reflects long-running problems in France's education system. Their complaints include insufficient teachers and support staff, crowded classrooms, long school days, leaks, inadequate toilets and buildings in disrepair. They also cited excessively hot classrooms during earlier heatwaves.

"The building is falling apart, the cafeteria is too small. There's zero budget, zero resources, not enough supervisors," Raphael, a 17-year-old student in Strasbourg, told AFP.

At least 65 education staff members have been injured, according to the education ministry. The reported wider injury toll has varied by source and timing. The Guardian reported Thursday that more than 80 police officers and firefighters and 120 pupils and teachers had been injured, while later BBC reporting said around 300 police and firefighters had been treated for injuries.

What Each Side Is Saying

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a crisis meeting on Thursday, October 1, and asked ministers to cancel official travel plans. The government said many schools would shift lessons online or close to protect students and staff, describing the escalation as "urban violence."

Education Minister Édouard Geffray said the movement had been hijacked by non-students, citing teachers who said some of those confronting them were not pupils at their schools. Interior Minister Nuñez said police had opened internal investigations into allegations of brutality involving three students.

The government and its political opponents have accused the radical-left La France Insoumise party of encouraging the protests. Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the party's leader and a presidential candidate, said LFI supported nonviolent methods of struggle and criticized the police response.

Why It Matters

The demonstrations have created a difficult political test for President Emmanuel Macron's government as France approaches its 2027 presidential election. They have also unfolded as the government prepares a draft 2027 budget aimed at a €54 billion fiscal adjustment. CNBC reported that the plan includes a public-sector wage freeze that would affect teachers, adding pressure to a dispute centered on calls for greater education investment.

For now, the movement's demands and the official response remain in tension: students are calling for better conditions in schools, while the government is prioritizing restoring order after fires, attacks and widespread blockades.