2026-10-04 18:50:42Kosova&Bota SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX

Up to 500 high schools in France are expected to remain partially or completely closed on Monday, at a time when student protests over conditions in educational institutions have escalated in some parts of the country.

French Education Minister Edouard Geffray declared that classes would be "totally or partially suspended" in hundreds of schools due to the situation created by the protests.

According to the minister, since the beginning of the movement, 24 schools have been “burned or looted.” The protests, which initially began in the Paris region, have spread to other areas of the country.

Students have organized protests and blockades near schools, opposing overcrowding in classrooms, the lack of teachers, and the dilapidated condition of some school buildings.

In some cases, the protests have taken a violent turn. Demonstrators have appeared wearing masks, while fires have been reported in the streets and clashes between protesters and police have been reported. Footage released from the protests also shows physical clashes between law enforcement and students.

At least 5,000 people, mostly teenagers, have been arrested during the riots, while dozens of people, including students and teachers, have been injured.

Meanwhile, unions have called for a teachers' strike, while other protests are planned for the coming days.

Paris police chief Patrice Faure has called on students to abandon school blockades and return to peaceful forms of protest.

He has also warned parents about the possibility of other people being involved in the riots, referring to "professional protesters."

French authorities have warned that the situation could escalate further, as security institutions are preparing for new protests announced for this week.


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