France has ordered the closure of more than 500 high schools this Monday after large-scale protests and violent clashes between student mobs and police, resulting in over 1,700 arrests last week.
On Sunday, 4 Oct 2026 GMT+7, Edouard Chevreux, France's Minister of Education, announced that approximately 400 to 500 high schools nationwide would suspend all or part of their classes on Monday, 5 Oct GMT+7, due to ongoing safety concerns following recent violent confrontations between police and student demonstrators.
The Minister of Education stated that at least 24 schools have been set on fire or vandalized since the protests began, and 78 education personnel have been injured, marking an unprecedented level of violence.
The violence erupted after thousands of high school students protested over issues including insufficient teachers, overcrowded classrooms, and deteriorating school buildings, with demonstrations spreading from Paris to cities such as Montpellier, Nantes, and Marseille.
The Minister claimed that activist groups, particularly from the far-left, infiltrated the student protests and employed extreme violence, endangering both students and authorities.
Laurent Nunez, France’s Minister of the Interior, revealed that as many as 1,747 people were arrested on the previous Friday.
Meanwhile, French Prime Minister Sébastien Le Cornu stated that the government is accelerating measures to address student and teacher issues, including improving facilities, adjusting class schedules, and increasing transparency in university admissions.
Additionally, the government is fast-tracking consideration of the “Vandal-pays bill” to compel those causing damage to bear full costs of repairs.
Protest organizers have scheduled continued demonstrations on Tuesday, 6 Oct GMT+7, criticizing the government for lacking concrete solutions to the problems.
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Source:BBC