France closes up to 500 schools Monday over student protests

What the report says

France’s education ministry says as many as 400 to 500 high schools will have lessons partially or fully suspended on Monday after days of student-led protests and clashes with riot police. The BBC reports that Education Minister Édouard Geffray linked the disruption to security concerns, saying conditions were not in place for normal classes to continue in some schools.

According to the French authorities, the unrest has spread beyond Paris to cities including Montpellier, Nantes and Marseille. Students have been protesting over education standards, including shortages of teachers, overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating school buildings. Geffray said 24 schools have been burned or ransacked since the protests began, and he said 78 education staff members have been injured.

The BBC also reported that the disturbances have prompted a wider government response. French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said 735 of the country’s 3,700 schools were affected in some way on Friday, while police made 1,747 arrests that day, according to Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. More than 5,000 people have been arrested since the movement began, the AFP news agency said, with most of those detained said to be minors.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said his government was taking steps to address problems in schools and to improve how classes and facilities are run. The protests are expected to continue, which suggests the dispute over school conditions and state handling of the unrest is likely to remain a political issue.