Schools Set Alight, Nearly 2,000 Arrests: Why French Students Are Staging Nationwide Protests

Student protests across France have turned violent, with fires at several schools and almost 2,000 people arrested in a single day. Here is what is happening, why it matters and what comes next.

What Happened

Fires broke out at a number of French schools on Thursday as students blockaded education institutions nationwide, BBC News reports. Blazes were reported at two high schools in Nantes, while another fire was filmed engulfing the entrance of a school in Rouen.

In Nantes, both fires reportedly spread after a bin was set alight. At the Nelson Mandela high school in the city centre, the flames reached the front of the building and damaged the entrance hall.

Sky News reports that students also set fire to vehicles, including a fire engine, as the protests grew more violent.

The Numbers

According to the BBC, citing the interior ministry:

1,949 people were arrested on Thursday, and 305 police officers were injured.
1,027 lycees (high schools for 15-18 year olds) have been affected by demonstrations, with blockades at 222 of them.
At least 30 universities have reportedly been blockaded too, including campuses in Rennes and Paris.
Public transport in Marseille and Strasbourg was halted because of vandalism and threats of violence, and to hinder protesters from moving around.

In Marseille, staff at Victor Hugo high school were reportedly splashed with petrol as protesters filled containers. In the northern village of Auchel, a headteacher was injured in the ear by a stray firework.

Why Are They Protesting?

The students say their schools are short of teachers and staff, with overcrowded classrooms and run-down buildings. University students joined in on Thursday with similar demands.

Seventeen-year-old Raphael, who protested outside a school in Strasbourg, told AFP (as quoted by the BBC) that rooms leak and there are not enough toilets. "There's zero budget, zero resources, not enough supervisors," he said.

The blockades began last week and spread to hundreds of schools.

The Government Response

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu held a crisis meeting on Thursday. Afterwards, the government said the student-led demonstrations had descended into "urban violence", according to the BBC.

A Political Row

The protests are now heavily politicised, even though France's next general election is still months away. The BBC reports that the government and hard-right politicians have blamed the hard left for igniting the unrest, which is being organised by a union representing lycee students.

Marine Le Pen of the National Rally said this is "no longer about high school student protests" but "riots organized by professionals", and called for a new anti-rioting law.
Jean-Luc Melenchon of La France Insoumise said he favours non-violent protest and argued that blaming the left would not fix the issues behind the demonstrations.
LFI member Bally Bagayoko, a Parisian suburb mayor, defended earlier remarks that violence could be legitimate in some cases.
Marseille's left-wing mayor Benoit Payan condemned the "unacceptable violence" but said young people are "legitimately concerned" about their future and public services.
Nice mayor Eric Ciotti said parents of those who damaged school property should pay for repairs.

What Happens Next

The protests are spreading rather than fading, and the government is under pressure to respond to both the violence and the underlying complaints about school funding. Neither the BBC nor Sky reports any concrete funding announcement so far. What the government does next, and whether students escalate or step back, will be the thing to watch.

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Do you think the government should prioritise school funding or cracking down on the violence first? Tell us in the comments.