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Paris school protests: minister says 400–500 lycées to stay shut Monday
Education Minister Geffray announced Sunday that 400–500 high schools will be fully or partly closed Monday; 24 schools burned or vandalized, 78 staff injured, about 5,000 arrested since the movement began.
Why it matters
French Education Minister Édouard Geffray announced on Sunday, October 4, on France 2 and France Inter that 400 to 500 of the country's 3,700 lycées will be "fully or partially" closed on Monday, October 5, because safety conditions are not met — either facilities were damaged or staff were directly targeted. The figure matches last Friday's, a sign the student protest movement is not fading.
Casualties and arrests
Geffray said 24 schools have been "burned or vandalized" and 78 national-education staff injured since the movement began — "unprecedented," he said. About 5,000 people, mostly teenagers, have been arrested since Monday, September 28, including more than 1,700 on Friday alone. Including damage to staff housing, losses are estimated at €20–30 million.
Background and what's next
The movement began September 17 at the Saint-Exupéry high school in Créteil, a Paris suburb, with students denouncing overcrowded classes, unfilled teacher vacancies and dilapidated buildings; it has since spread nationwide, and Thursday's 2027 budget plan to cut 1,588 teaching posts further inflamed anger. Student organizations have distanced themselves from the violence and called for renewed mobilization on Tuesday, October 6, joined by several unions including the CGT. Geffray accused far-left militants of infiltrating the movement and singled out La France Insoumise for inciting blockades; LFI coordinator Manuel Bompard shot back that years of education cuts are to blame.
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