Student demonstrations continued across France on Thursday, with blockades affecting schools and universities as the government sought to address protesters’ demands ahead of a nationwide mobilisation planned for Saturday.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray said students at approximately 200 high schools remained involved in the protest movement, which has spread to several major cities, including Paris, Marseille and Lyon.
The unrest has prompted growing concern within the government, particularly over violent confrontations between demonstrators and security forces.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu argued that the demonstrations had moved beyond their original character, describing them as “a movement of urban violence.”
He also condemned what he called an “absolutely appalling call for violence” in certain areas and said regional authorities would be consulted over concerns involving school buildings.
Meanwhile, Geffray announced that the government was reviewing Parcoursup, France’s university admissions platform, with decisions on possible changes expected before the end of October.
“The time for decisions is approaching, but for now we are working on it,” he said during a visit to a school in Gradignan, southwestern France.
The minister also reported progress in addressing staffing shortages, saying approximately two-thirds of the 3,000 promised substitute teachers had been assigned to schools.
According to Geffray, the number of high schools facing particularly serious difficulties had declined from 114 the previous Thursday to 47 this week. He expressed hope that none would remain in the highest-risk category when classes resume after the autumn break.
Student representatives were scheduled to meet the education minister again on Thursday evening. At an earlier meeting on October 8, the organisations Les Lycéens! and Union syndicale lycéenne had called for demonstrations to continue.
The movement has also reached HEC Paris, the prominent business school near the capital, where students joined protests in solidarity with high school pupils.
In Lyon, authorities prohibited a planned student demonstration on Thursday, citing concerns about public disorder, damage to businesses and attacks on security personnel.
The scale of the unrest was reflected in figures released by the Paris police prefecture, which reported 1,260 arrests across the metropolitan area since the demonstrations began. Approximately 86% of those arrested were minors.
Police authorities also reported injuries to 286 police officers and gendarmes, along with 13 education staff members.
“The violence is recurring and growing in intensity,” the prefecture said, adding that 71 security personnel had been injured during demonstrations on October 13 alone.
Authorities accused some protesters of removing paving stones and throwing them at officers, with several members of the security forces requiring emergency hospital treatment.
However, allegations of excessive police force have also emerged.
Staff at Paul-Eluard High School in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, criticised what they described as a violent police intervention inside the school during the arrest of a student. They alleged that officers struck staff members who attempted to intervene.
With further nationwide demonstrations planned for Saturday, tensions remain high as student organisations press their demands and the government attempts to restore normal school operations while addressing concerns over violence and policing.