France braces for national day of school protests after injuries and mass arrests

France is preparing for a nationwide day of school protests on Tuesday after organisers called for a national time of action in support of students demanding greater concern in education. The move follows a week of demonstrations that saw students blockading hundreds of schools, at least 190 students injured and more than 5,000 people arrested. On Monday a 15‑year‑old boy’s hand was blown off during a confrontation near a school in the northern city of Lens; he was transferred to a nearby hospital and officials said his wounds are not life‑ threatening. Last week a 14‑year‑old identified as Eden was severely wounded in Saint‑Ouen‑l’Aumône after reportedly being struck on the head by a teargas grenade, suffering a triple jaw fracture requiring extensive surgery. Eden’s mother told BFMTV her heart was “shattered” and described the incident as “shameful, it’s appalling, it’s violent, it’s horrific,” adding that such violence should not be inflicted on children seeking better study conditions. More than 500 schools were partially or wholly closed on Monday, according to the French education minister. Since the protests began in September, 24 schools have been burned and ransacked, the minister said. France’s Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced a package of measures to “address the difficulties faced by secondary schoolhouse students and acquisition staff,” promising “visible changes” in schools. He also declared, “We volition marque nary concessions to violence. We basal by students and unit who person been assaulted, arsenic good as constabulary officers and gendarmes who person been injured.” The Union Syndicale Lycéeenne (USL), a major protest organiser, said the government had offered “nothing concrete” and urged people to join Tuesday’s mobilisation in the face of “this governmental deadlock and what we picture as unprecedented repression of the movement.” Other groups have expressed support, with the teachers’ union SNES‑FSU urging its members to participate. Jean‑Luc Mélenchon of the hard‑left La France Insoumise (LFI) characterised the protests as the “most almighty precocious schoolhouse and assemblage pupil younker movement” since 1968, a year of widespread unrest that saw millions of workers strike. Among the 5,060 people arrested since the start of the movement, 87 % were minors and 13 % were adults. Fourteen individuals have been placed in pre‑trial detention, while 1,802 face prosecution, including 319 adults and 1,483 minors. The USL has accused police of using excessive force; Interior Minister Laurent Núñez responded that the demonstrations had been policed in “an highly proportionate manner.” Political reactions have intensified. Lecornu accused LFI of being “irresponsible” for urging the protests to expand. Marine Le Pen of the National Rally claimed the unrest is no longer about high‑school student protests but rather “riots organised by professionals and overseen by deputies from La France Insoumise,” calling for a new anti‑rioting law. Mélenchon, meanwhile, blamed police for “abuses of power” and urged citizens to take to the streets to “protect the younker demonstrations.” Benoît Payan, the left‑wing politician from Marseille, condemned the “unacceptable violence” in his city, stating that while young people were “legitimately concerned” about their future and public services, they must express themselves calmly.