Student protests demanding improved learning conditions continued across France on Friday, with clashes, fires and property damage reported in several regions as authorities moved to close hundreds of schools.
Tensions were particularly high in Strasbourg, where protesters outside a high school moved towards the University of Strasbourg campus after being pushed back by police, according to BFMTV.
Fireworks were reportedly launched during the unrest and gasoline was used to start a fire. Police later used tear gas to disperse crowds after fireworks were thrown towards security forces. Around a dozen black-clad rioters were reported among a larger crowd that included high school and university students.
In Paris, firefighters responded to fires at the entrances of two schools, while police in the Loire region reported several arrests involving people allegedly carrying potentially dangerous objects, including a firework device and a glass-breaking hammer.
Authorities in Marseille reported fewer demonstrators than the previous day. Eleven schools were affected to varying degrees, while some blockades were cleared by riot police. Fifty-five high schools switched to remote learning on Friday morning.
The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regional authorities estimated that damage associated with three days of protests had reached between €25 million and €30 million, reporting 180 blockades and 90 attacks on high schools.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray said more than 400 schools would be closed on Friday, in some cases because fire-safety systems had been damaged or staff had allegedly been deliberately targeted.
Geffray said 1,207 high schools had been disrupted or blocked at some point during the mobilisation. More than 100 schools suffered serious damage and 65 staff members were injured, according to the minister.
The government held an emergency meeting on Thursday as officials said the demonstrations had increasingly shifted from school blockades towards what they described as “urban violence.” Officials also alleged that the protests had been covertly organised by the left-wing La France Insoumise (LFI) and affiliated groups. The allegation was reported by BFMTV and has not been independently established.
The Interior Ministry also instructed prefects across France to ban demonstrations around schools on Friday.
Student organisations, alongside left-wing political groups, have called for another nationwide mobilisation on October 6, accusing authorities of police “repression” during the protests.