The protests began in Seine-Saint-Denis, a low-income area north of Paris, and have since spread to cities nationwide. On Thursday, hundreds of lycees -- schools for students aged 15 to 18 -- were blockaded by students. By Friday, the situation had eased but around 400 schools remained closed to protect staff and students, with universities beginning to join the movement.
Violence has erupted at some protests. In Nantes, the main hall of a lycee was destroyed by fire. Numerous smaller fires were lit at school entrances across the country, with the cost of damage running into millions of euros. Education Minister Edouard Geffray reported that 65 teaching staff, including 40 school heads, have been injured. He noted that most staff reported that the people they faced were not their own pupils, suggesting outside elements were involved.
The French government is highly sensitive to youth protests, recalling the student-led unrest of May 1968, which President Charles de Gaulle famously described as "chienlit" (a chaotic mess). Le Monde described the government as having "the cold sweats" over the current movement. With presidential elections only months away, the Macron administration is wary of the unpredictable nature of youth movements, which often attract public sympathy and can draw in other groups.
The grievances behind the protests are local -- ranging from school timetables and class sizes to a shortage of teachers and overheated classrooms during recent heatwaves -- but the rapid spread reflects broader frustration.