Student protests ignite French streets: Thousands arrested and dozens injured

Student rage explodes on French streets

Several French cities witnessed a massive wave of protests and riots on Thursday, as high school students continued their mobilization against the current state of the education system. These violent protests are staged in response to teacher shortages, extreme overcrowding in classrooms, and deteriorating educational infrastructure, with university students joining the movement with similar demands.

Heavy toll and mass arrests

In a critical security development, the French Interior Ministry announced the arrest of at least 1,949 people on Thursday, alongside 305 police officers injured during the clashes. Faced with this crisis, Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu held an emergency meeting to address the aftermath of the unrest. The government later stated that the movements led by students had veered off course into what it described as “urban violence.”

Sharp political debate and mutual accusations

Politically, the government and hard-right politicians have directly blamed the far-left for inciting and managing the protests organized by a student union. In this context, Bally Bagayoko, a mayor of a Paris suburb and member of the radical left “La France Insoumise” party, defended previous remarks implying the legitimacy of violence in certain cases, citing incidents where protesters were allegedly shot at. For his part, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France Insoumise and former presidential candidate, reiterated his absolute support for peaceful protests, emphasizing that blaming the left will not solve the root causes. Conversely, Marine Le Pen, leader of the far-right “National Rally” party, toughened her stance, stating: “This is no longer about high school student protests, but about riots organized by professionals and supervised by La France Insoumise deputies,” ultimately calling for a new, strict law to combat rioting.