N環球 
Paris student protests escalate: about 5,000 arrested; unions join Tuesday nationwide protest day
400–500 of France's 3,700 lycées stayed closed Monday; some 5,000 people arrested since Sept 28 and 24 schools burned or looted; Paris police chief published an open letter urging an end to blockades; the CGT union will join Tuesday's rallies.
Why it matters
France's high-school protests are entering a second week and clearly escalating: arrests have risen to about 5,000 and the Paris police chief publicly admits the instigators have lost control. If Tuesday's nationwide protest day turns violent again, on top of the government's 2027 austerity budget battle, pressure on French politics will surge.
Full report
PARIS, Oct 5 (Reuters) — Monday marked the second week of school closures in France, with 400–500 of the country's 3,700 lycées fully or partially closed (announced by Education Minister Édouard Geffray on Sunday evening).
Since the protests began last Monday (Sept 28), about 5,000 people have been arrested nationwide, most of them teenagers; 24 schools have been burned or looted; 78 education staff have been injured. Geffray called the situation "unprecedented."
Paris police chief Patrice Faure published an open letter on X on Saturday, saying the protest instigators had lost control of the situation and calling on students to end the blockades and shift to peaceful protest.
Student unions have called for a nationwide day of protest on Tuesday (Oct 6); CGT union chair Sophie Binet said on TF1 on Monday that union members would join Tuesday's demonstrations to "protect high-schoolers." Security officials fear organized marches in central Paris could turn violent again, with far-left and anarchist groups infiltrating.
Government spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told CNews on Monday that "the priority is restoring order." The protests run parallel to the government's push for a 2027 austerity budget — France's 10-year bond yield topped 5% last week, the highest since 2002.
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