Approximately 170 students, at least 65 education staff and more than 300 police officers and gendarmes have been injured during France’s spreading student protests, according to government figures reported Friday. The unrest has also left more than 100 high schools severely damaged, with regional repair estimates running into tens of millions of euros.
Some students have suffered life-changing injuries. A young man in Tours lost sight in his right eye, according to the prosecutor. A 14-year-old in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône sustained severe mouth and jaw injuries following a police intervention, while another student was hospitalized with a serious eye injury in Argenteuil. Investigations are examining the circumstances of police actions.
Violence has also targeted teachers and police. In La Ciotat, southern France, authorities said two individuals sprayed a teacher with gasoline before physically assaulting him Friday. In Belfort, footage showed a group of youths surrounding a police officer and kicking him to the ground. Student representatives, meanwhile, have accused police of using excessive force against demonstrators.
The financial toll is mounting. Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes estimated damage at €25 million to €30 million, including vehicles and areas surrounding schools. Île-de-France, which includes Paris, reported €7 million in damage, while Grand Est and Hauts-de-France each estimated costs approaching €1 million. These preliminary figures cover broken gates, damaged facades and other destruction.
In Nantes, a fire destroyed the entrance hall of Nelson-Mandela High School, forcing it to remain closed until the fall break. Bordeaux’s François-Mauriac High School was also damaged by fire Thursday, while fires damaged the entrances of two Paris high schools Friday. Some students have condemned the destruction, saying it undermines their demands for better education.
Education Minister Édouard Geffray said 735 schools experienced disruptions Friday, while nearly 400 remained closed. Some attempted to maintain lessons online. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported 1,747 arrests Friday and more than 5,000 since Monday as authorities intensified their response to clashes and school blockades.
The movement began in the Paris region in September over inadequate facilities, teacher shortages and exhausting school schedules before spreading nationwide. Student organizations have called for another national mobilization Tuesday, October 6, saying government talks have yet to deliver concrete measures, despite a promised plan to accelerate the replacement of absent teachers.
