Paris Students Clash With Police in Saint-Denis as Campus Blockades Spread

Why it matters

Thursday was the second mass mobilization day of France's high-school protest movement over teacher shortages and dilapidated school buildings — and it turned violent in several cities, with dozens injured and hundreds arrested, mostly minors, according to reported figures.

In Saint-Denis, the Paris suburb, large crowds of students gathered and faced off against police. Student organizations claimed around 30 university campuses were blockaded, including in Paris — a figure not confirmed by officials. Police, cited by Agence France-Presse, counted about 340 actions and 169 blockades outside schools by late morning, while student groups put the nationwide total above 900.

Violence flared elsewhere: attackers doused a headteacher in petrol at the Victor Hugo high school in Marseille, a fire engine was besieged and burned at the Saint-Exupéry school, and a fire broke out at a high school in Nantes.

Prime Minister Lecornu's office convened a crisis meeting Thursday afternoon. Education Minister Geffray ordered blockaded schools to switch to remote learning, and the interior minister said agitators were moving from school to school.

The protests coincided with the government's unveiling of its 2027 budget, which includes steep spending cuts — a political flashpoint feeding the unrest.

Sources: Reuters (Paris, Oct 1); Agence France-Presse.