PARIS — Students across France set fires at schools and blockaded education institutions Thursday during widespread protests over teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and deteriorating buildings. The unrest, which began last week at lycées for 15-18 year olds, has expanded to hundreds of schools and at least 30 universities, including campuses in Rennes and Paris.
Fires broke out at two high schools in Nantes, western France, after bins were set alight. One blaze at Nelson Mandela high school spread to the building's entrance hall. In Rouen, a fire engulfed the entrance of another school.
The Interior Ministry reported 1,949 arrests Thursday, with 305 police officers injured. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a crisis meeting to address the demonstrations, which the government characterized as having "descended into urban violence."
In Marseille, staff at Victor Hugo high school were reportedly splashed with petrol as protesters filled containers. A headteacher at Degrugillier high school in Auchel, a northern village, sustained an ear injury from a firework.
Public transport services in Marseille and Strasbourg were halted Thursday due to vandalism and efforts to impede traffic. In Strasbourg, barriers were used to obstruct tram tracks.
Raphael, 17, described his school's conditions while participating in protests outside a school. "The building is falling apart, the cafeteria is too small," he said in an interview with AFP. "There's zero budget, zero resources, not enough supervisors."
The Interior Ministry said 1,027 lycées have been affected by demonstrations, with blockades at 222 of them. University students joined Thursday's protests, citing similar concerns about studying conditions.
The demonstrations have become a political flashpoint in France. The government and hard-right politicians have blamed hard-left groups for organizing the unrest. The protests are coordinated by a union representing lycée students.
Bally Bagayoko, a mayor in a Parisian suburb and member of the radical left La France Insoumise party, defended earlier statements suggesting violence could be justified in certain circumstances, citing instances where protesters were allegedly fired upon.
