PARIS: French high school students set fires and threw projectiles at police on Friday, prompting officers to use tear gas as unions and student groups called for fresh rallies next week.
The protests, which began in the Paris region in September before spreading nationwide, are demanding improved school conditions, shorter school hours and action to address staff shortages.
The government has acknowledged the students’ right to express their grievances but condemned violence against police, teachers and other members of the public.
In La Ciotat, southern France, a teacher was sprayed with petrol before being physically assaulted by two people, officials said.
A young man injured during clashes in Tours on Wednesday has lost the use of his right eye, the city’s prosecutor said on Friday.
🇫🇷 French students blockade schools to demand better resources
Hundreds of secondary school students take part in protests across France as part of a national day of action over the country’s public services, demanding more resources for education. pic.twitter.com/e1oBZPWETv
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) September 30, 2026
Arrests And Injuries
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said 1,747 people had been arrested on Friday, as he condemned incidents involving projectiles and attacks on police officers, teachers, journalists and passers-by.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray said 735 of France’s 3,700 schools had been affected in some way, a 30% decline from Thursday.
Three school staff members were injured on Friday, compared with 31 the previous day, he added.
Nunez also said more than 300 police officers and gendarmes had been injured since the movement began.
Geffray said at least 65 school staff members, including 40 headteachers, had been injured during the protests. About 170 students had also been wounded, while more than 100 schools had suffered serious damage, he added.
In the western city of Brest, police used tear gas at Kerichen High School after pupils threw projectiles at security forces, according to an AFP photographer.
In Paris, fires damaged the entrances of two high schools, prompting firefighters to respond.
Police have launched internal investigations following allegations of excessive force against demonstrators.
Students Demand Action
Students say they face excessively long school days, inadequate facilities, overheated classrooms and frequent teacher absences.
On Friday, unions and student organisations called for further demonstrations on Tuesday, urging pupils to maintain pressure on the government.
“High school students are expecting concrete measures from this government, and so far we have not received them,” said Ryad Rani, head of the USL high school union.
James, a high school student in Lille, accused police of using excessive force against demonstrators.
“When we see fellow students being beaten, choked, blinded in one eye, and tear-gassed from all sides while we’re simply trying to have a dialogue with the government, of course it makes people angry,” he said.
The education minister said the government would introduce an action plan to speed up the replacement of absent teachers.
Political Fallout
The protests have become a political challenge for the government, coming seven months before voters choose a successor to President Emmanuel Macron.
The government has accused the hard-left France Unbowed (LFI) party, led by presidential candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon, of encouraging the movement.
Senior LFI official Manuel Bompard rejected the accusation, saying the government was “descending into conspiracy theories”.
Geffray argued that the student movement was being exploited by radical groups.
“The high school student movement is being held hostage by ultra-violent fringe groups,” he said.
He also warned that students faced risks by remaining on the streets.
“What matters now is ensuring our children are no longer out on the streets, because they are in danger.”
The demonstrations have exposed growing tensions between students and law enforcement, with both sides accusing the other of violence as calls for further protests continue.
