A headteacher was injured after being doused with petrol, and fires were set at schools in Marseille and Nantes on Thursday as student protests over staff shortages and deteriorating school facilities intensified across France.
The protests, which began last week, have seen students block school entrances in several parts of the country. The unrest has escalated into clashes, fires and attacks, with dozens of people injured and hundreds arrested, officials said.
In Marseille, hundreds of young people surrounded a fire engine that had arrived to put out a blaze at Saint-Exupery high school, police said.
The group reportedly forced firefighters away from the vehicle before setting the fire engine alight.
A headteacher at Victor Hugo high school in the same city was also attacked after being doused with petrol, according to the Marseille prosecutor’s office. The official was injured, although authorities did not immediately provide further details.
Another fire was reported at Nelson Mandela high school in the western city of Nantes.
Olivier Chateau, a deputy to the Nantes mayor, told broadcaster Franceinfo that the blaze had been brought under control and that no injuries were reported.
The building was evacuated, while students who were due to attend classes were turned away.
Government Holds Crisis Meeting
The protests have become a major political challenge for Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu’s government, coming as the administration unveiled a series of unpopular spending cuts in its 2027 budget on Thursday.
Lecornu’s office held a crisis meeting later in the day to discuss the unrest, which has spread to schools across the country.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said some troublemakers were moving from one school to another to encourage violence.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray called on schools to switch to remote teaching where protesters were preventing access to school buildings.
“Violence will not keep our students from their fundamental right to an education,” Geffray said in a post on X.
Students Accuse Police of Heavy-Handed Tactics
Students have also accused police of using excessive force, including tear gas, during attempts to clear blockades.
In Saint-Denis, north of Paris, groups of young people gathered in front of a line of police officers. One student held a sign reading: “Can we explain ourselves without being teargassed?”
The government has condemned violence during the demonstrations while acknowledging concerns over conditions in the country’s high schools.
Officials have said the protests reflect wider frustrations over staff shortages and the state of school infrastructure.
Hundreds of students have been arrested since the demonstrations began, most of them teenagers, according to officials.
The unrest comes at a politically sensitive time for Lecornu’s government, with the 2027 budget’s proposed spending cuts expected to fuel further public opposition.
