PARIS: The student protest movement spreading across France is now out of control, Paris police chief said on Saturday, urging demonstrators to return to peaceful action and warning that authorities would respond firmly to violence and vandalism.
Riot police clashed with high school students across the country on Friday, while teachers’ unions called for strike action as President Emmanuel Macron’s government sought to contain increasingly violent protests over classroom conditions and education funding.
Around 5,000 people, mostly teenagers, have been arrested nationwide since Monday, while dozens of people have been injured.
The government has acknowledged the students’ right to express their grievances but condemned violence against police, teachers and other members of the public.
🇫🇷 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
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.
Paris police chief Patrice Faure, in an open letter published on X ahead of planned renewed protests from next Tuesday, said those who had launched the movement no longer controlled it and called on students to abandon school blockades and unrest in favor of peaceful forms of protest.
“It is time to return to peaceful forms of action,” Faure wrote, saying parents also had a responsibility to steer their children away from what he described as the influence of “professional rioters” and their supporters.
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.
Aujourd’hui encore, les forces de l’ordre ont sécurisé les rassemblements aux abords des lycées et établissements d’enseignement supérieur et les forces de secours éteint les feux allumés par des jeunes qui voulaient dégrader, casser et taper.
Le @prefetpolice remercie ses… pic.twitter.com/eESxrrjgJ3
— Préfecture de Police (@prefpolice) October 2, 2026
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.
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.
ALSO READ: France Protests Continue As More Than 730 Schools Face Disruption
“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.
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.
