CLASSROOMS ON FIRE

2,000 Arrested as High School Protests Turn Violent

The demonstrations have become increasingly violent as they have spread.

About 2,000 people have been arrested in France as violent protests about the state of the country’s education rage on. The protests, driven by grievances including teacher shortages, dilapidated buildings, and class sizes, have also forced the closure of 400 schools, which stayed closed Friday. The demonstrations started in the Paris area last month but have become increasingly violent as they spread elsewhere. Justice ⁠Minister Gerald Darmanin condemned those who have committed arson in schools, clashed with police, and torched vehicles as an “active and violent minority” who may not even be students. “We have ​gone from high-school student demonstrations to a public-order disturbance. When people target buses and set schools on fire, it is no longer simply a protest issue,” Darmanin told a French radio station. Around two-thirds of the 2000 people who have been arrested amid the disorder were placed in police custody. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu was reportedly told by intelligence agencies during a crisis meeting on Thursday that the protest violence has been orchestrated by hard-left politicians, including members of La France Insoumise (LFI). Louis Boyard, a 26-year-old LFI politician, denied the allegations against the party.