More than 400 people, mostly minors, were detained in France on Tuesday over student protests at high schools across the country, the French interior minister said.
The demonstrations began in Paris and have seen teenagers block their schools for days, citing overcrowded classes and a shortage of teachers.
At least 10 teachers and several students, as well as 48 law‑enforcement officials, were injured, the interior ministry said. Over 400 schools were affected.
Images and videos showed bins set ablaze and bus stops damaged by protesters.
'We’re here to deliver a message', one 16‑year‑old female student told AFP. 'We’re not here to smash everything up for no reason. We’re here precisely to say that the education system is completely broken. There are 34 of us in each class, and it’s just not feasible. The teachers are overworked.'
French Education Minister Édouard Geffray said students can protest but condemned violence as ‘indefensible’.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez told BFMTV that 440 people were detained, noting that two‑thirds went into police custody.
French media reported protesters hurled projectiles at police, who responded with batons and tear gas.
Ryad Rani, president of Union Syndicale Lycéenne, accused the government of ‘repression’ and police of excessive force.
When asked about the police response, Nuñez said it was ‘carried out in an extremely proportionate manner’.
Geffray said in a social‑media post that the right to demonstrate cannot be used to justify such actions, adding that calling for extended blockades endangers students and public employees.
The movement began last week in the Île‑de‑France region and has drawn national attention, coinciding with walkouts by teachers, hospital staff, and civil servants over low wages and working conditions. Over 200,000 participants were reported, but most protests went without incident, according to the interior minister.
