400 schools remain closed following days of student protests in France
French protests continued to escalate on Friday, with around 400 schools and other educational establishments expected to remain closed as high school students blocked access to buildings, clashed with police and, in some cases, set fires. The protests have increasingly turned violent, with dozens of people injured and around 2,000 people taken into police custody since the unrest began, Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said.
When people target buses and set schools on fire, it is no longer simply a protest issue,” he said. Darmanin said he had asked prosecutors to hold parents liable for damage caused by their children during the protests and “pay for repairs”. Around 2,000 people have been taken into police custody since the movement began, he told RTL, with “90 percent of whom were minors”.
The movement, which began in the Paris region last month over teacher shortages, long school hours and poor building conditions, has spread nationwide. “We have gone from high-school student demonstrations to a public-order disturbance. The protests have also led to confrontations between students and police. Students have accused officers of using excessive force, including the use of tear gas to disperse demonstrations.
In Paris on Friday, fire damaged the entrances of two high schools — Leonard de Vinci in the south of the city and Gaston-Bachelard in the southeast — with firefighters called to extinguish the blazes, an AFP photographer reported.
“Parents must clearly step up and tell their children not to go” to the protests, Geffray said. “What matters now is ensuring our children are no longer out on the streets, because they are in danger.”