Nationwide School Protests Continue as Violence Escalates

Overview

• The national day of action continued Tuesday with the Education Ministry reporting 49 lycées blocked that morning while demonstrations and marches took place in major cities including Paris.
• A regional councillor in Chelles was struck by a closed bottle that spilled a gasoline‑smelling liquid on her torso, prosecutors opened an attempted homicide inquiry and several youths were detained at the scene.
• Early‑morning and recent attacks damaged schools: firefighters responded to a blaze at lycée Émile Zola in Aix‑en‑Provence that closed the site for the day, and the lycée Françoise de Tournefeuille near Toulouse suffered mortar fire, arson and about €1 million in reported damage.
• Authorities have moved between talks and enforcement, with police clearing an occupation at Université Rennes 2, the Paris police prefecture imposing a Panthéon–Place d’Italie route and several criminal investigations and arrests underway.
• Government figures say roughly 240–300 education staff have been injured since mid‑September, regional officials estimate about €10 million in school damage in Île‑de‑France, and stalled negotiations after youth groups walked out raise the prospect of more closures, legal action and catch‑up measures for pupils.