Students Light Fires, Block Schools as Protests Spike Across France

On Tuesday, more than 400 students were detained during a wave of school protests that saw blockades, fires and the closure of some 400 schools across France.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez confirmed that 440 people were arrested, while 48 police officers were injured. Protesters, many of them minors, targeted overcrowded classrooms and the nation’s chronic teacher shortage.

The movement that began last week in Paris’s Île‑de‑France region has now spread to schools nationwide. At the same time, public‑sector workers—including teachers and firefighters—joined the fray to protest planned budget cuts.

Live coverage is ongoing as the protests continue to unfold, with RTWnews delivering real‑time updates and an interactive timeline for viewers to follow the story as it develops.