French school protests spread as authorities report more than 600 detentions
Officials said protests reached 356 schools on Wednesday, with dozens of police, teachers and pupils injured. Students are protesting overcrowding, workloads, learning materials and teacher shortages.
French authorities reported more than 600 detentions on Wednesday as high school protests over school conditions spread across the country. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said demonstrations affected 356 schools.
Nunez said clashes and attempted arson left 83 police officers and gendarmes wounded. A further 32 teachers and pupils were injured, according to the minister. The account does not specify the extent of damage from the fires.
Students have blockaded lycées since the previous week, starting in Île-de-France before protests spread elsewhere. They cite overcrowded classes, heavy workloads, poor-quality learning materials and teacher shortages. Protests were reported in Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon and Lille.
President Emmanuel Macron said students’ concerns were legitimate but did not justify violence. He said high schools should remain open and condemned blockades and fires.
Macron and Nunez accused far-left groups of inciting violence. Those claims were not independently substantiated in the supplied reporting.
