Up to 500 high schools in France to suspend classes due to protests — France 24

In France, classes will be fully or partially suspended at 400–500 high schools on Monday due to student protests. Education Minister Édouard Geffray said that safety conditions at these institutions are not ensured, France 24 reports.

Reasons for the protests

Students at French high schools complain that their education is hindered by frequent teacher absences, excessively long school days, overcrowded classes and the neglected condition of buildings. According to Geffray, the number of institutions where classes will not be held or will be limited on Monday will be roughly the same as on Friday. The minister also promised a gradual partial resumption of classes.

According to the minister, since the start of the movement, 24 schools have been set on fire or vandalized. The protests began on September 17 at one of the institutions in Paris and spread across the country last week. In some places, clashes occurred between teenagers and security forces, who used tear gas and batons.

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Detentions and casualties

Geffray claims that activists, including those of the far left, infiltrated the movement and, according to him, resorted to extreme violence. He reported that 78 education workers were injured and said they were allegedly deliberately targeted because of their work in the national education system.

Organizers called for protests to continue on Tuesday, citing the absence of concrete measures from the government. More than 5,000 people have been detained since the start of the movement, 85% of them minors. Critics accuse the police of excessively harsh actions. On Sunday, a 16-year-old suspect was also detained over an attack on a 59-year-old teacher in the southern city of La Ciotat.