Education Minister Edouard Geffray said 400 to 500 high schools would fully or partly close on Monday after weeks of student protests that have injured students and staff.
France planned to fully or partly close 400 to 500 high schools on Monday as student protests that began in the Paris region in mid-September continued. Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced the precautionary closures on Sunday, saying security conditions had not been met for a normal return to class.
Geffray said 24 schools had been burned or ransacked since the protests started. He also said at least 170 students and 78 education staff had been injured. The ministry reported that at least 400 of France's 3,700 high schools were closed on Friday, and that 560 faced protests or disruptions.
Organisers called for large demonstrations to resume on Tuesday, arguing that President Emmanuel Macron's government had not produced concrete measures. Al Jazeera and AFP reported the closures were framed as a partial, progressive return to lessons rather than a nationwide shutdown.
The protests have included clashes with police near schools, including in Aubervilliers. The government has not, in the accounts cited here, published a settlement with student groups.
Monday's closures were limited to high schools where officials said safety could not be guaranteed. Further disruption was expected if Tuesday's called demonstrations went ahead.
People Sentiments Negative
- Protest organisers cited a lack of concrete measures from the government as the reason for calling further demonstrations