School Protests Rattle France as Police Warn of Violence

Riot police clashed with students across France on Friday as demonstrations over school conditions closed roughly 400 of the country's 3,700 high schools. Fires, fireworks, and tear gas marked protests in Paris, Marseille, Strasbourg, Rennes, and elsewhere.

• 2,000 people — most of them teenagers — have been detained since protests began.
• 65 school staff, including 40 principals, have been injured in the unrest.
• More than 100 high schools have suffered what officials described as severe damage.
• The draft 2027 budget proposes a 1.7% education spending increase, below inflation.

Why it matters: Students say years of underinvestment have left schools overcrowded and understaffed. The protests coincide with a public-sector strike, compounding political pressure on Macron ahead of the 2027 election.

• 170 students have been wounded alongside the 65 injured staff members.
• Nelson Mandela high school in Nantes sustained more than €2 million in damage.

How 32 sources split on this story

Where they split: The central dispute is whether the violence reflects a legitimate student movement that escalated, or a protest that was politically organized and co-opted by France Unbowed (LFI) lawmakers.

What’s next: Teachers' unions have called a strike for Tuesday in solidarity with students.

• The Interior Ministry has opened three investigations into alleged police violence.
• Students in Liège, Belgium, began similar protests Thursday; schools there closed Friday.
• Will the government offer concrete concessions on education funding before the teachers' strike Tuesday?
• French intelligence agencies told a crisis meeting LFI politicians initiated the movement — an allegation LFI denies. No independent evidence has been published either way.
• How far will protests spread beyond France?