Upwards of 500 schools across France remained partially or completely closed on Monday as the nation braces for a new, potentially violent wave of so-called student protests this week.
Per AFP, Education Minister Édouard Geffray detailed on Sunday that the shuttered schools do not presently meet the safety conditions that can warrant their reopening after a series of violent protests incited by far-left groups plunged France into total chaos last week.
Geffray reportedly detailed on Sunday some 24 schools across France were either set on fire or ransacked during the violent protests. At least 78 members of the French Ministry of National Education were injured.
The lack of proper security conditions, the minister stressed, is what led to the closure of the hundreds of schools on Monday — a precautionary measure that comes amid calls from student unions for more protests on Tuesday, October 6.
“Clearly, this poses a risk to both our staff and our students,” Geffray said.
Subsequent Paris Police reports published in the aftermath of the violent riots indicate that the protests were indeed instigated by the far-left organizations such as the La France Insoumise party led by Jean-Luc Mélenchon and the Young Revolutionary Communists. The protests left over 5,000 individuals detained, with an overwhelming 85 percent of the detainees being minors under the age of 18.
The ongoing student protests began on September 17. At the time, students allegedly protested in a peaceful manner calling for better conditions and resources for French schools.
However, the protests rapidly turned violent last week, leading to the uncontrolled violence that engulfed Paris and numerous other French cities, leading to hundreds of reported acts of arson, vandalism, assaults against law enforcement and civilians, and blockades of school facilities.
Jules Ferry Middle and High School in the 9th arrondissement of Paris students block the entrance and chant anti-government slogans during a protest on October 1, 2026 in Paris, France. (Antoine Gyori – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)
French government officials and politicians have repeatedly accused La France Insoumise and other far-left elements of “co-opting” the protests and turning them into an avenue for violence ever since the riots began last week.
Minister Geffray reportedly reiterated on Sunday that far-left elements “hijacked” the protests from the students to engage in acts of “extreme violence.”
France reportedly experienced a “lull” calm period over the weekend — however, according to information from the French Education Ministry disclosed to outlets, 413 educational institutions “have undergone or are undergoing” varied forms of disruptions in their activities as of Monday noon (local time).
Per Le Figaro, the figures represent a 27 percent reduction from the disruptions documented on Friday.
On Sunday, French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu announced a “roadmap” with initiatives and decisions to address the demands originally presented by the protests, urging local authorities to collaborate and help fill the gaps on teacher shortages — one of the demands presented by the student unions.
The protest organizers, however, have reportedly deemed them to lack “concrete measures” to their demands, and have thus called for the upcoming Tuesday protests.