FRANCE: France’s prime minister said on Monday that increasing protests at high schools would be “irresponsible.” Student protests have spread beyond the Paris area, one day before a nationwide strike by public workers.
Teenagers have been blocking schools and protesting since last week. They are upset about crowded classrooms, heavy workloads and not having enough teachers.
The protests began around Paris. Some included damage to property and fireworks thrown toward police.
On Monday, protests spread to other parts of France. Four high schools were blocked in the southern Alpes-Maritimes and Var regions. Protests were also reported in Marseille, Lille and Sedan.
“Fireworks, fires and violence near high schools put students, staff and police at risk,” Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu wrote on X.
He criticized calls by the left-wing France Unbowed party to expand the protests. He said the escalation was irresponsible, but added that students’ concerns should be heard and addressed.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the protests and school blockades were unusual. He said some masked people had fireworks and objects to throw, and appeared to want to fight the police.
He said the events were not about making demands, but were “violence in its purest form.”
Nunez said 164 people were arrested and 180 schools were affected on Monday. He added that 12 security workers, 12 students and three school staff were injured.
Education Minister Edouard Geffray said late Monday that violence was taking over what began as a normal student protest.
The Union Syndicale Lyceenne, a union that represents high school students, said it would call for schools across the country to be blocked on Tuesday. Unions have also called for public workers to walk out that day.
France’s main primary school teachers’ union expects about 40 percent of teachers to be absent on Tuesday.
The protests have become political, with the presidential election seven months away. The government and France Unbowed are now in conflict over the protests.
The education minister said France Unbowed politicians were using the school blockades for political reasons.
The party-run city hall in Saint-Denis, a working-class suburb of Paris, replied that officials should speak with the students and see whether they are being influenced by others or are organizing to defend their education and future. It said their concerns were legitimate.
Reported by: Our Correspondent I France
