France's schools are under siege — and the government is shutting them down.
Between 400 and 500 high schools across France will remain completely or partially closed on Monday as student protests over dilapidated schools, overcrowding and teacher shortages enter a second week, Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced Sunday evening. The closures come ahead of a nationwide day of demonstrations called for Tuesday.
What started in late September at a high school in a Paris suburb — students protesting teacher shortages — has spread nationwide into one of the most disruptive education revolts France has seen in years. Students are demanding urgent investment to repair crumbling school buildings, recruit more teachers, reduce class sizes, and fix a university admissions system they say is broken.
But the movement has turned violent. According to the education minister, 24 schools have been burned or ransacked since the protests began, and 78 education workers have been injured — a figure he called unprecedented. On Monday, BFMTV showed police clashing with students in Lille, tear gas deployed in Toulouse, and a fire lit as masked intruders tried to break into a school in central Paris.
The arrests are staggering: around 5,000 people detained nationwide since last Monday, about 85% of them minors, according to the Interior Ministry. Teachers and members of the public have been attacked. Property damage is estimated in the tens of millions of euros.
The government is blaming infiltrators. Geffray said far-left activists have "hijacked" the student movement and pushed it toward extreme violence. Paris police chief Patrice Faure said in an open letter that those who launched the protests no longer control them, urging students to abandon blockades for peaceful protest.
The unrest is compounding France's political crisis. The protests come as the government tries to pass a deficit-narrowing 2027 budget, and France's 10-year bond yield briefly topped 5% last week — its highest since 2002 — as investors priced in the turmoil.
The government says its priority is restoring order, and it plans to fast-track a bill on October 27 making rioters financially liable for property damage. Student unions, meanwhile, are doubling down — a national action day is set for Tuesday, with the CGT union vowing to attend "to protect high school students" from what it calls an unprecedented crackdown.
France's classrooms are closed. Its streets are not.