French authorities have detained at least 440 people during protests this week led by high school students who are angry about the state of the country’s education system.
Students have held demonstrations in hundreds of schools across the country, in some cases barricading the entrances with obstacles like e-bikes, throwing projectiles and setting fire to trash bins. On Tuesday night, Laurent Nuñez, the interior minister, said in a television interview that police had detained 440 people on Monday and Tuesday, many of whom were minors.
By Wednesday morning, nearly 80 people had been injured in the unrest, including students and staff members, according to France’s education minister, Édouard Geffray.
A union of high school students said they were protesting a “lack of teachers and staff, dilapidated schools, overcrowded schedules and classrooms.” It also highlighted the stress caused by a state-run website that students must use to apply for admission to higher education programs, including undergraduate university places, and which is perceived as opaque and impersonal.
Mr. Geffray called their demands “legitimate” and worthy of debate, but said the violence had gone too far. One young person, who was using a firework launcher, lost use of part of a hand, he said. Teachers had been chased and principals had been targeted with such launching tubes, he added.
“No demand can justify such acts,” Mr. Geffray said.
The students’ union said that high schoolers had been forced to resort to blockading their schools because the authorities had ignored their petitions and protests.
Lina Bouiiellan, a high school student protesting on Tuesday in Paris, told The Associated Press that her “school is in a terrible state.”
“We don’t have any time for ourselves,” she added, noting that she was in school from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
The student protests came as civil servants, including teachers, across France went on strike to demand more resources and higher wages.
“High school students have legitimate demands,” Sophie Vénétitay, a teachers’ union leader, said during the demonstration on Tuesday, pointing to staff shortages. “For years, public education has been in a catastrophic state.”
Her union, and two others representing teachers and educational staff, published a joint statement expressing support for the students and condemning the violence. The three unions specifically pointed to “indiscriminate police interventions” and “police repression,” which they said had led to student injuries.
During one protest, a young person in Tours, a city southwest of Paris, was hospitalized after sustaining head injuries, Catherine Sorita-Minard, the prosecutor of Tours, said on social media. Her department also announced that five young people had been arrested for throwing projectiles at law enforcement.
In the Sarthe region, in western France, officials said protesters threw projectiles including Molotov cocktails, leading to 15 arrests.
The protests have deepened disputes between leftist political leaders and the centrist government.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a left-wing opposition leader, said on Monday that the high school students were “harmless” and criticized the “ferocity” of the government’s response.
In response, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said Mr. Mélenchon was “fanning the flames” of unrest.
“Students have the right to safety,” Mr. Lecornu added. “Staff have the right to protection. Police officers have the right to respect when they carry out their mission.”
The unrest is expected to continue for days, after France’s largest student union called for students to blockade high schools and universities on Thursday and then hold a major national youth demonstration on Tuesday.
Giulia Imbert contributed reporting.
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