Over 400 detained as student protests intensify across France
More than 400 people, mostly minors, were detained in France on Tuesday during student protests outside high schools, sparked by overcrowded classrooms and teacher shortages.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said more than 400 people, most of them minors, were detained nationwide on Tuesday in connection with student protests outside high schools. Speaking to BFMTV, Nuñez said the final count was not yet confirmed but that roughly two-thirds of those detained were taken into police custody.
The protests, which began in Paris and the surrounding Île-de-France region, have continued for several days with students blockading their schools. The unrest stems from grievances including overcrowded classrooms and a shortage of teachers. The education ministry reported that at least 400 schools were affected. At least 10 teachers, several students and 48 law enforcement officers were injured.
Images and video circulating from the protests showed bins set on fire and damage to bus stops. French media reported that protesters threw objects at police, who responded with batons and tear gas.
A 16-year-old student told AFP the demonstrations were not about destruction but about highlighting a broken education system, citing classes of 34 students and overworked teachers.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray acknowledged students' right to protest but condemned violent incidents as indefensible, saying the freedom to demonstrate cannot excuse such actions. Ryad Rani, head of the Union Syndicale Lycéenne student union, accused the government of repression and police of using excessive force. Nuñez maintained that the police response had been proportionate.
On Monday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned that any further escalation would be irresponsible, after 164 people had already been arrested. Tuesday's student protests coincided with nationwide strikes by unions representing teachers, hospital workers and civil servants over low pay and working conditions. Nuñez said those strikes, involving at least 200,000 participants, largely passed without incident.
