400 schools across France were disrupted on Tuesday as students staged blockades, with 440 students and staff taken into police custody and ten injured.
Students set fire to garbage bins and hurled bottles, paving stones and other projectiles at police, who responded with batons and tear gas in Paris, Lille, Nantes, Marseille, Bordeaux and Lyon.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told BFMTV that two‑thirds of the 440 detainees were taken into custody, while Education Minister Edouard Geffray called the violence "unspeakable" and announced legal proceedings. Prime Minister Lecornu condemned the escalation as "irresponsible" and warned that the hard‑left France Unbowed party was fueling unrest.
At the Lycée Paul‑Eluard in Seine‑Saint‑Denis, 16‑year‑old Victoire accused the school of neglect, while teachers formed a protective line in a Paris suburb, a move that highlighted the tension between educators and police.
The government has pledged to review school staffing and security protocols, and Prime Minister Lecornu said a new policy review will begin next week.