French PM warns against escalation of school protests after 164 arrested

France's Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu warned against an escalation of school protests after 164 individuals were arrested on Monday. The demonstrations, which began in Paris and have seen teenagers blockading their schools for several days, stem from overcrowded classes and teacher shortages. Lecornu cited reported incidents at the protests in a post on X, saying: "Fireworks, fires, violence near high schools: nothing justifies endangering students, staff, or police officers." A French organization that defends the interests of high‑school students described the protests as a "legitimate response" to the conditions they face. Interior Minister Laurent Núñez said that on Monday 12 members of the security forces, 12 students and three school staff members were injured, and that 180 schools were affected. He did not provide further details about those who had been arrested. The unrest at French lycées – equivalent to sixth form in the UK or high school in the US – started last week in the Île‑de‑France region around Paris. Vandalism has been reported, with fireworks aimed at police, and the protests have since spread to other regions of France. According to the AFP news agency, four high schools were reportedly blockaded in the southern départements of Alpes‑Maritimes and Var. Demonstrations have also been noted in Marseille, the northern Lille area and Sedan in the north‑eastern Ardennes. The Union Syndicale Lycéenne, which represents students, defended the protests in a social‑media post, stating: "Lack of teachers and staff, dilapidated schools, overcrowded schedules and classes, stress caused by Parcoursup [the online platform used in France for students to apply to the first year of higher education]... These issues are by no means inevitable, but simply the effect of 10 years of Macron's policies and the lack of resources in the public education system," it said. The union called on students to blockade schools on Tuesday in defence of "their rights and against budget austerity". On the same day, unions representing teachers, hospital staff and civil servants also called for a day of walkouts to protest low wages and working conditions. In response to the student movement, Lecornu said "the difficulties of high schools must be heard and addressed", but that "violence must be condemned unequivocally, and its perpetrators must answer for their actions". The prime minister also accused the far‑left France Unbowed (LFI) party of urging students to expand the movement. Jean‑Luc Mélenchon, LFI's leader, blamed the Lecornu government for having "ordered the crackdown" on the protest, adding that the high‑school students taking part were "harmless". Núñez countered that the demonstrations and blockades were "not typical protest movements". He said: "It is much more similar to urban violence, with a number of individuals who were masked, equipped with fireworks in tubes, equipped with projectiles, who clearly wanted to face the interior security forces," he said. He added: "It wasn't about making demands; it was truly violence in its purest form." Since the protests began, several incidents involving violence between students and police officers have been reported. In one case, a police officer reportedly fired a round from a grenade launcher used for crowd control, injuring a high‑school student, according to France's BFMTV. Investigations have been launched into these incidents, the broadcaster added.