France Detains Nearly 8,000 in Student Protests

By Staff, Agencies

French authorities have detained 7,950 people since high school students began protesting last month, with minors accounting for approximately 85% of those taken into custody, UA.News reported Wednesday, citing figures from the Ministry of Justice.

Of those detained, 6,773 were minors and 1,177 were adults. The ministry said 26 people had been placed in pretrial detention.

The demonstrations have also resulted in hundreds of injuries among students and police, as well as dozens of injuries among education workers.

Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu told the Senate on October 14 that 937 police officers and gendarmes had been injured since the mobilization began. He also reported injuries among 248 students, many of them occurring amid urban unrest.

The Ministry of National Education reported that 147 teaching staff had been injured, while separate figures cited in reports indicated that 149 ministry employees had been hurt. Police have opened 34 internal investigations into alleged violence against demonstrators.

The protests began last month when lycée students aged 15 to 18 blocked school entrances to demand better classroom conditions.

The movement has since expanded, with anger over police conduct drawing more demonstrators into the streets.

Reported injuries include a teenager who lost a hand after picking up a police stun grenade, another who lost an eye, and a third who lost teeth after a tear gas canister was fired at his face.

The Education Ministry said 214 schools, mostly high schools, had been shut amid the unrest. The student union l’Union Étudiante, meanwhile, said 90% of universities nationwide had closed in solidarity with the protests.

The government’s offer to deploy 3,000 substitute teachers to the 114 most affected schools has failed to satisfy the demonstrators. Students are demanding broader measures to address teacher absences, deteriorating school buildings and overloaded timetables.

Separately, President Emmanuel Macron accused politicians of exploiting the protests, as the movement continues to put pressure on the government over conditions in the education system and police conduct.