Lecornu reports hundreds injured during French school protests

French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu told the Senate on October 14 that 248 pupils, 937 police officers and gendarmes, and 149 education workers had been injured since the school protest movement began.

Justice ministry figures cited by Interfax, current to 5 p.m. on October 13, included 6,773 minors among those taken into custody. Twenty-six people were placed in pretrial detention, with adults accounting for about 65% of that group.

Lecornu described the education workforce injury toll as unprecedented for the ministry. The figures cover the protest movement as a whole rather than a single day.

Demonstrators are demanding better learning conditions and education reform. Their concerns include teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, and the condition of school buildings and accommodation.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray said around 200 upper-secondary schools were closed because of protests on October 14, across roughly a quarter of France's departments.