French school protests spread as fires and blockades disrupt cities

Student protests over school funding and conditions spread across France on Thursday, with fires, blockades and clashes disrupting schools, universities and public transport.

Students have cited teacher and staff shortages, overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating facilities. Police said about 340 demonstrations were underway outside high schools by Thursday morning and more than 160 schools had closed. University students also joined the protests, blocking access to about 30 campuses, according to a student union.

Fires damaged schools in Nantes and Rouen. In Marseille, firefighters responding to a blaze at Saint-Exupéry high school were forced from their vehicle before it was set alight, police said. At Victor Hugo high school, prosecutors initially said teachers had been assaulted and doused with petrol; local authorities later said staff were inadvertently splashed as a student tried to throw petrol into a rubbish bin. A headteacher in Auchel suffered an ear injury from a firework.

Public transport was halted in Marseille and Strasbourg amid vandalism and threats of violence. Authorities said trams in Strasbourg were stopped partly to restrict protesters’ movements.

French media reported 625 arrests on Wednesday, while broadcaster ICI reported more than 600 arrests by midday Thursday outside Paris. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a crisis meeting, and Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said internal investigations had been opened into allegations of police brutality involving three students.