Hundreds of French schools begin second week of closures as Lille clashes mark Monday, Tuesday protests loom
400–500 French high schools remained shut on Monday as the pupil protest movement entered a second week; police-student skirmishes broke out in Lille, the government vowed to 'restore order', and unions called a nationwide day of demonstrations for Tuesday.
Hundreds of French high schools began a second week of closures on Monday as the nationwide pupil protest movement over dilapidated schools, overcrowding and teacher shortages built toward a national day of demonstrations on Tuesday, Reuters reported.
Between 400 and 500 high schools — out of 3,700 nationwide — remained completely or partially closed on Monday, Education Minister Édouard Geffray said on Sunday evening. On Monday, BFMTV broadcast images of police and student skirmishes in Lille, in northern France.
“Our priority is to restore order,” government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told CNews television on Monday. Paris police chief Patrice Faure, in an open letter published on X on Saturday, said those who launched the protests no longer controlled them and urged students to abandon blockades in favour of peaceful protest.
Since last Monday, around 5,000 people — mostly teenagers — have been arrested nationwide and dozens injured; 24 schools have been burned or ransacked and 78 national education employees injured, Geffray said. Damage to property is estimated in the tens of millions of euros.
Student unions have called for a national day of demonstrations on Tuesday. CGT union head Sophie Binet told TF1 on Monday that union members would attend “to protect high school students”, saying they were “appalled” by the government’s “unprecedented crackdown”.
Flip News context: the closures were announced on Sunday, as Flip News reported.
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