Dozens injured and 160 arrests during student protests in France

In France yesterday, 164 people were arrested across the country during protests at secondary schools. At least 27 people were injured, including twelve members of the French security services, twelve pupils and three school staff members.

The protest movement began last week in the Paris region, when pupils blocked the entrances to their secondary schools. They demonstrated against ongoing problems in education such as overcrowded classes, a shortage of teachers and a heavy workload.

The pupil protests spread to other parts of the country. Action was taken yesterday at about 180 schools, including 28 in the region around Paris. Pupils also took to the streets in the southern departments of Var and Alpes-Maritimes, in Marseille and around the northern municipalities of Lille and Sedan.

According to French Interior Minister Nuñez, a pupil was injured on her hands and face after sulfuric acid was thrown at her. In addition, fireworks were thrown at the police during the protests and there was vandalism. It is still unclear how extensive the damage is.

Nuñez says the protests are no longer about the demands made, but about "violence in its purest form". According to the French newspaper Le Monde, the movement has gained momentum via social media and is fueled by a sense of injustice and poor living conditions among pupils.

French Prime Minister Lecornu has also condemned the violence. "Fireworks, fires and violence near secondary schools: nothing justifies putting pupils, staff or police officers in danger," he writes on X.

He also accuses the far-left party France Insoumise (LFI) of further stirring up the movement. Several LFI politicians, including Louis Boyard, have expressed their support for the pupils and called for the actions to be expanded further.

"This escalation is irresponsible," Lecornu said. "It is the duty of an elected representative of the Republic to protect young people and call for calm. Exploiting their anger for political purposes is wrong."

According to him, schools should not become a political battleground, but a place where pupils can study safely. He called on Jean-Luc Mélenchon, the leader of LFI, to condemn the violence.

Mélenchon reacted sharply to that accusation. According to him, the protesting pupils are not a threat, and it is the government that is cracking down too hard on the demonstrators.

Mélenchon has strong support among young voters. According to a recent poll by Le Monde, 41 to 45 percent of 18- to 24-year-olds would vote for him in the first round of next year's presidential election. That makes him more popular in this age group than the far-right candidate Marine Le Pen of Rassemblement National.

A pupils' union has called for secondary schools to be blocked again today. That call coincides with a national strike day by civil servants, including employees in public transport, healthcare and education. The strike day is aimed at the government's planned cuts.