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France Shuts Hundreds of Schools Amid Student Protests; Over 5,000 Arrested
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Firstpost•05-10-2026, 07:15
France Shuts Hundreds of Schools Amid Student Protests; Over 5,000 Arrested
- •France's Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced the closure of 400-500 high schools on Monday due to security concerns ahead of larger student demonstrations planned for Tuesday.
- •The closures, affecting over a third of schools in the Ile-de-France region, are a security precaution, with 24 schools already burned or ransacked since protests began.
- •Student grievances include high teacher absence rates, long school days, dilapidated facilities, and perceived police brutality, with one student losing teeth to a rubber bullet.
- •Geffray claims far-left infiltrators have hijacked the movement, leading to extreme violence and injuries to 78 education staff members.
- •Over 5,000 people, 85% of them minors, have been arrested since the protests started, with incidents including the assault of a teacher and a policeman.
Key Questions Answered
Education Minister Edouard Geffray announced that lessons would be suspended in 400 to 500 high schools as a security precaution because safety conditions have not been fulfilled ahead of major student protests.
Students are protesting against high teacher absence rates, overlong school days, and dilapidated facilities that they claim are ruining their studies.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu set out a timetable urging local authorities to prioritize filling long-term absences and unfilled posts, and scheduled a meeting with regional presidents to discuss overhauling dilapidated school buildings.
