Student protests escalate across France leading to school closures

Violent student protests against teacher shortages and dilapidated infrastructure have spread nationwide in France, culminating in widespread unrest on Thursday. In Marseille, attackers doused a headteacher in petrol at Victor Hugo high school and forced firefighters to abandon a vehicle after setting it on fire at Saint-Exupery high school. Additional fires were reported at a school in Nantes and a car was torched in Strasbourg. The unrest has resulted in dozens of injuries and hundreds of arrests, primarily of teenagers.

Following the violence, Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced that over 400 schools and educational establishments are expected to remain closed on Friday. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu convened a crisis meeting on Thursday to address the situation, which has intensified alongside public opposition to newly announced budget cuts. While government sources attributed the unrest to political agitation by the hard-left party La France Insoumise, lawmaker Louis Boyard has denied these allegations. The government continues to manage the fallout from these protests as security forces remain on high alert.