2,000 Arrested in a Single Day as French High School Protests Intensify

As protests by French high school students angry over learning conditions spread nationwide and take on heavily violent aspects in some areas, the government has stepped in to hold emergency meetings.

According to French police, about 900 protests and school blockades took place outside high schools nationwide on October 1 alone, British outlets including the BBC and The Guardian reported.

As a result, more than 160 schools were closed, and access was blocked to about 30 university campuses, including in Paris and the country's second-largest city, Marseille.

To date, high schools affected by student protests have reached 1,027 out of a total of 3,700.

Fires were reported to have broken out at two high schools in Nantes, western France, on this day.

An entrance to a school in Rouen, northwestern France, was also captured engulfed in flames.

According to the Ministry of the Interior, 1,949 people were arrested on this day alone.

Since the protests began, the cumulative number of arrests has reached nearly 3,000.

It was also tallied that 305 police officers were injured in clashes with students during the crackdown on this day.

As the protests intensified, public transportation operations were suspended in some areas, including Marseille and Strasbourg, as a measure to block property damage, violent threats, and the movement of protesters.

Judging that the protests are degenerating into "urban violence," the government convened an emergency cabinet meeting and instructed ministers to cancel business trips.

The office of Prime Sébastien Lecornu stated after the meeting, "Due to the surge in violence, it has become practically impossible to maintain the continuity of public education, and staff and students are being exposed to danger."

Accordingly, the government announced that a significant number of schools will switch to online classes.

The protests, which began on September 21 at a high school in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, spread to the Paris region before expanding nationwide on September 29.

Students are demanding improvements to the educational environment from the government, taking issue with excessive schedules, overcrowded classrooms, chronic teacher shortages, and outdated facilities.

Minister of Education Édouard Geffray is scheduled to meet with student representatives on October 2 to listen to their demands.

The student protests have also spilled over into political battles.

The French government and far-right politicians have criticized the radical left for stoking the flames of these protests.

Marine Le Pen, a member of the National Assembly and presidential candidate for the far-right National Rally (RN) party, previously said, "This is no longer a high school student protest. This is a riot organized by professionals and directed by La France Insoumise (LFI) lawmakers."

In response, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of LFI and a presidential candidate for the radical left camp, emphasized that he supports non-violent protests, while countering that blaming the left will not solve the fundamental causes of the protests.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.