PARIS, France — French students blocked schools and set fire to rubbish bins in several cities Thursday as they protested overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and deteriorating school facilities, while authorities reported violence and nearly 2,000 arrests.
The Interior Ministry said police and gendarmes arrested 1,949 people during the protests, while 305 officers suffered injuries.
Authorities said protesters affected 1,027 of France’s roughly 3,700 high schools, known as lycees, with blockades reported at 222 schools.
Regional education authorities, prefectures and union representatives also reported that several school principals faced harassment, assaults or other attacks during the blockades.
Authorities in the Paris region said about 50 schools experienced violence, clashes or property damage.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez condemned what he described as “unbridled violence.” Police have also opened internal investigations following allegations that officers used excessive force against three students.
The protests began last week and spread from the Paris suburbs to cities across France. Students have raised concerns about class sizes, school schedules, teacher shortages and inadequate facilities, including problems linked to high temperatures during this year’s heatwaves.
In Marseille, authorities said protesters splashed a school principal and deputy principal with petrol. Officials also reported an attack on an M6 television journalist at the same school.
Firefighters responded to a fire at the entrance of a high school in Nantes after a gathering that regional education authorities said involved violence against staff.
Authorities also reported vandalism and clashes near schools in several cities. In Strasbourg, officials halted tram services to limit movement near areas where protests were taking place.
Raphael, a 17-year-old student who withheld his surname, said students at his school faced overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating facilities.
“There are 35 of us per classroom. With 35C in summer, it’s unbearable. There aren’t enough toilets, and there are water leaks in some rooms,” he said.
Students also protested in Toulouse, where hundreds gathered near tram tracks and some participants toppled rubbish bins, started fires and damaged bus shelters, according to AFP reporters.
In Lille, AFP reporters saw protesters damage a bus shelter while firefighters extinguished fires involving overturned rubbish bins.
University students also joined the demonstrations Thursday, with a student union reporting blockades at about 30 campuses.
The French government has accused the hard-left France Unbowed party, or LFI, of encouraging the protests. LFI figures rejected the allegation and said the party supports nonviolent forms of protest.
The unrest comes amid broader concerns about inflation and rising fuel prices, with France also preparing for its presidential election in 2027.
Protests and property damage also occurred at several schools in the Belgian city of Liege, police said.
