Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned that any further escalation of the ongoing student protests in France would be “irresponsible,” after 164 individuals were detained on Monday.
The demonstrations, which began in Paris and have seen teenagers blockading schools for days, stem from issues such as overcrowded classrooms and a shortage of teachers.
Lecornu referenced several incidents during the protests in a post on X, stating, “Fireworks, fires, and violence near high schools serve no purpose; they endanger students, staff, and police officers.”
A French student union, however, described the protests as a “legitimate response” to the challenging conditions students are facing.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported that 12 security personnel, 12 students, and three school staff members were injured on Monday, with 180 schools impacted.
He offered no further details on the individuals who had been apprehended.
The movement at French lycées—equivalent to sixth form in the UK or high school in the US—started last week in the Île-de-France region surrounding Paris.
Incidents of vandalism and fireworks aimed at police were reported, and the protests have now spread to other regions across France.
According to AFP, four high schools were reportedly blockaded in the southern departments of Alpes-Maritimes and Var. Additional protests have been reported in Marseille, the northern Lille area, and Sedan in the north‑eastern Ardennes department.
The Union Syndicale Lycéenne, which represents students, defended the protests on social media, stating that “The lack of teachers and staff, dilapidated schools, overcrowded schedules and classes, and stress caused by Parcoursup—the platform for higher‑education applications—are the result of a decade of Macron’s policies and insufficient resources in the national education system.”
The union called on students to blockade schools on Tuesday in defense of “their rights and against budget austerity.”
On the same day, unions representing teachers, hospital staff, and civil servants also announced a day of walkouts to protest low wages and poor working conditions.
In response to the student movement, Lecornu said, “The difficulties faced by high schools must be heard and addressed, but violence must be unequivocally condemned, and those responsible must be held accountable.”
Lecornu further accused the far‑left party France Unbowed (LFI) of urging students to broaden the protest.
Jean‑Luc Mélenchon, LFI’s leader, accused the Lecornu government of “ordering the crackdown” on the protest, adding that the participating high‑school students were “harmless.”
Interior Minister Nuñez, however, described the demonstrations and blockades as “not very typical protest movements.”
“It is much more akin to urban violence, with a number of masked individuals equipped with fireworks in tubes and projectiles who clearly wanted to confront the internal security forces,” he said.
“It wasn’t about making demands; it was truly violence in its purest form.”
Since the protests began, several violent confrontations between students and police officers have been reported.
In one incident, a police officer reportedly fired a round from a grenade launcher used for crowd control, injuring a high‑school student, according to BFMTV.
Investigations have been launched into these incidents, the broadcaster added.
