“We’re here to deliver a message,” a 16-year-old student told AFP, emphasizing, “We’re not here to destroy property without reason. Our goal is to highlight that the education system is fundamentally broken. With 34 students in each class, it’s unmanageable, and teachers are already overworked.”
French Education Minister Édouard Geffray acknowledged students’ right to protest via social media but condemned acts of violence as “indefensible.”
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported to BFMTV that 440 individuals were detained during the demonstrations, with two-thirds taken into police custody pending final figures.
French media cited unrest involving protesters hurling projectiles at police, who responded with batons and tear gas dispersal tactics.
Ryad Rani, president of Union Syndicale Lycéenne, accused the government of “repression” and criticized police for employing excessive force during the protests.
Addressing criticism over police tactics, Nuñez maintained the response had been “carried out in an extremely proportionate manner.”
In a social media statement, Geffray reiterated that while demonstrating is a fundamental right, it “cannot serve as an excuse for such actions.” He warned that validating blockades endangers both students and public employees, calling such rhetoric “irresponsible.”
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