Students barricaded the entrance to Hélène Boucher high school in northeastern Paris on Thursday, prompting police to use tear gas. Protests over school funding and deteriorating facilities continued across France.
Students used rubbish bins to block the entrance as riot police gathered on nearby streets. Hundreds of high school and university students later joined a Paris demonstration planned from Place de la République to Place de la Bastille.
The Education Ministry said 375 schools were fully or partially closed on Thursday. The Interior Ministry reported more than 6,600 arrests since late September, when protests over school funding and conditions began. The Associated Press also reported the use of tear gas outside the school and demonstrations elsewhere in the country.
Protesters have complained about underfunded schools, ageing buildings and staff shortages. Trade unions and political groups have joined the movement. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned attacks on students and school staff, injuries to police and gendarmes, and arson or vandalism at schools. “We cannot play with the safety of France’s youth,” he said in a televised address.
Students carried signs calling for more education funding and criticizing the police response. Sofia Ferdials, an 18-year-old student at Paris 8 University, said demonstrations would continue unless the authorities changed course. She said the movement could grow as France approaches a presidential election scheduled for April.
Emma Khelil, an 18-year-old university student who returned to her former high school to support protesters, said she feared police violence. She also described leaks and insulation problems at the school. Dounia Gergeon, a school librarian, said young people felt cornered and unsupported.
Protests have also been reported in Belgium and Italy. In the Belgian city of Liège, authorities banned large public gatherings until midnight on October 16 after clashes in which police used water cannon and tear gas. Students occupied schools and demonstrated in several Italian cities.