Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on social media that any further escalation of France’s student protests would be "irresponsible," after police arrested 164 people on Monday.
The demonstrations began last week in Paris’s Île‑de‑France region and have spread to the south, north and eastern parts of France, with teenagers blocking their schools for days. Students cite overcrowded classrooms, a teacher shortage and dilapidated facilities as major grievances.
Lecornu condemned reports of fireworks, fires and other violent acts near schools, stressing that "nothing justifies endangering students, staff or police officers."
The Union Syndicale Lycéenne defended the protests as a "legitimate response" to the conditions, arguing that the current state of schools results from a decade of austerity and insufficient investment in education.
Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that 12 security‑force officers, 12 students and three school staff were injured on Monday, and that 180 schools had been affected. He described the incidents as "urban violence," noting that masked individuals armed with fireworks and projectiles sought confrontation with the police.
Police have reported that in at least one incident a crowd‑control grenade launcher was fired, injuring a high school student. Investigations by the BFMTV are underway.
The protests have intensified tensions, with the far‑left France Unbowed (LFI) party alleged by the government to be urging students to expand the movement. Jean‑Luc Mélenchon, LFI’s leader, accused the Lecornu administration of "ordering the crackdown" and called the protesting students "harmless."
The government has pledged to address the students’ concerns but firmly insists that violence must be condemned and those responsible should face legal consequences.
