More Than 400 Students Detained in France Amid Escalating School Protests

A 16‑year‑old student told AFP: We are

Thousands of French students were detained in the past hours as the secondary‑school protest movement intensified. According to the French Interior Minister, about 440 people—most of them minors—were taken into custody on Tuesday after widespread demonstrations that spread across the country’s high schools. The protests began in Paris and quickly expanded, blocking school access for several days. Students cited overcrowded classrooms and a chronic lack of teachers as key grievances.

The situation grew tense. Tuesday’s incidents left at least ten teachers and several students injured, along with 48 police officers. The Education Ministry confirmed that at least 400 schools were directly affected by the wave of protests. Social media videos show trash cans set on fire and bus stops vandalised, illustrating the conflict’s intensity.

A 16‑year‑old student told AFP: „We are here to send a clear message. We are not here to destroy everything without a reason. Our goal is to highlight that the educational system is completely dysfunctional. We have 34 students in each class, a situation that becomes simply unbearable, and teachers are overworked.”

Minister of Education Édouard Geffray posted on X that students have the right to protest, but he called reports of violence „unjustified.” In a statement to BFMTV, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed exactly 440 detentions, noting that two‑thirds were sent to police custody. French press reported that demonstrators threw projectiles at police, who responded with batons and tear gas.

That evening, Geffray posted on social media

Ryad Rani, president of the Union Syndicale Lycéenne, accused the government of „repression” and criticised police for excessive force. When asked about the police response, Nunez said the intervention was „extremely proportionate.”

That evening, Geffray posted on social media: „The right to demonstrate is a fundamental freedom that cannot serve as a pretext for such actions. To legitimize or, in this context, to call for extending blockades means putting our students and public sector employees at risk. It is an irresponsible attitude.”

The movement began last week in Île‑de‑France around Paris. On Monday, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned that any escalation would be „unreasonable” after 164 arrests. He posted on X: „Petards, fires, violence near schools: nothing justifies putting students, staff, or police officers at risk.”

The protests coincided with national strikes by teachers, hospital staff, and public servants over low wages and working conditions. Nunez said the protests, with at least 200,000 participants, largely proceeded without major incidents.