French Authorities Seek To Quell Violence at Lycées Nationwide as Student Riots Lead to Police Response, Remote Learning

France is temporarily moving some high school students to online learning as authorities try to regain control of hundreds of buildings following days of riots at high schools. The expansive violence started with students complaining about decrepit conditions to a free-for-all that includes calls to “Free Palestine.”The riots, which started last week as protests in the Ile-de-France region outside Paris, have left principals targeted and students injured. France’s prime minister, Sébastien Lecornu, hosted an emergency meeting of officials Thursday as riots spread to 356 schools across the country. More than 625 individuals, mostly students, many believed to be second- and third-generation migrants of north African nations, have been detained. According to French officials, 83 police and 32 teachers have been injured attempting to control the vandalism, which has since spread to transportation hubs from school campuses in cities as diverse as Lyon, Bordeaux, and Lille. On Thursday, rioters at the Mediterranean coastal city of Marseille attacked firefighting sailors, smashing windows, damaging equipment, and setting a vehicle on fire. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez called the activity an unacceptable “act of gratuitous and serious violence” and said perpetrators will be tracked down and “will have to answer for their actions before the courts.” He added in a note to municipal police forces that they should respond with “the right balance between the proportionality of interventions, the necessary maintenance of order, and the protection of property and people.”Education Minister Édoard Geffrey said that to protect students and staff and ensure teaching can continue, he has asked principals, prefects, and academic authorities to conduct classes remotely “when damage or blockades prevent the safe welcome of students.” “Violence will not deprive our students of their fundamental right to education,” Mr. Geffrey posted on X on Thursday. He said the acts of violence “far exceed” the sole issue of understaffing, onerous schedules, and overheated classrooms at individual schools. “No demand can justify such acts,” he said.Politicians have used the opportunity to create a new political rift ahead of April’s legislative elections. As many as 11 percent of teachers and firefighters joined the protests, according to one report, as the student protests coincide with expected federal budget cuts that have fueled public-sector strikes across cities. Saint Denis Mayor Bally Bagayoko, a far-left politician, joined student rioters, laughing and high-fiving them. Far-left political party La France insoumise, or France Unbowed, has called for officials to hear the demands of rioting students. “High school students on the move are harmless. The Lecornu government has ordered the crackdown. This ferocity is irresponsible with an obvious racist aftertaste. Hands off our youth,” 2027 La France insoumise presidential candidate Jean-Luc Mélenchon wrote on Tuesday. He encouraged “elected officials and rebellious militants” to “step in everywhere you can.”Mr. Lecornu condemned the comment as an irresponsible attempt to exploit anger for partisan gain. “Nothing justifies endangering students, staff, or police officers” with mortars, petrol, and hydrochloric acid. “The Republic’s school is not a partisan playground,” he said, adding in a separate post, “Your accusation of racism is an insult. … Condemning violence and those who assault high school students should require less effort from you than smearing those who protect them.”“High school blockades reveal the true face of LFI: the cult of disorder and the obsession with violence,” added Renaissance presidential candidate and parliamentarian Gabriel Attal.

French Authorities Seek To Quell Violence at Lycées Nationwide as Student Riots Lead to Police Response, Remote Learning

French Authorities Seek To Quell Violence at Lycées Nationwide as Student Riots Lead to Police Response, Remote Learning

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