Closure of Hundreds of High Schools in France as Student Protests Escalate

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About 400 high schools across France were closed today, Friday, due to student protests that have been ongoing for a week, during which dozens of staff were injured and police arrested nearly two thousand people, according to officials.

The protests began last week in the Paris region before quickly spreading across the country, where final-year high school students blocked their school entrances and clashed with police.

Students say that class hours are excessively long, and that conditions in schools are unsuitable, including high temperatures inside classrooms, as well as a high rate of staff absenteeism.

The government says these complaints are legitimate, but it rejects acts of violence.

French Education Minister Edouard Philippe stated that "the movement of high school students has become hostage to extremely violent fringe groups," adding that around 400 high schools out of 3,700 in the country are expected to close on Friday.

Many high schools intend to organize remote learning, especially in the city of Marseille in the south of the country.

Philippe told BFM TV that at least 65 staff members have been injured since the start of the movement, including 40 high school principals.

He added, "Parents must clearly take responsibility and tell their children not to go" to the demonstrations. He continued, "The most important thing now is to ensure that our children do not remain in the streets, as they are at risk."

For his part, Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin stated that he has asked public prosecutors to hold parents accountable for the damages caused by their children during the protests, and to require them to "pay for the repairs."

Daramanan added to "RTL" radio that about two thousand people have been placed in police custody since the start of the movement, "90 percent of them are minors."