French PM condemns violence as school unrest spreads across country, says 'Burning down high school won't make it better'

French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu condemned the violence surrounding the nationwide school protests.

French Prime Minister talks about student protests and violence in the country

Speaking in the National Assembly, Lecornu warned lawmakers that there could be “no room for tolerance of violence” as demonstrations over deteriorating conditions in education continue to spread.

He said burning down the high school will not improve the condition of the school buildings, while attacking the teachers will do nothing to address staff shortages.

“Burning down a high school will not improve the condition of the high school buildings” and “lynching a teacher will not help to replace the teacher,” Le Figaro said.

His remarks came as the protests entered another major day of mobilisation, with students, teachers, parents and unions taking to the streets of cities across France.

The movement, which began in September in the Paris region, has grown into a nationwide campaign targeting teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, long school hours and dilapidated school buildings.

Students have also expressed concerns about the pressure around college admissions and the Parcoursup system, which they say increases stress and inequality. The protests began after students at a school in Creteil joined teachers demanding more resources and staff, with the action quickly spreading via social media to schools elsewhere in the country.

The scale of Tuesday’s mobilization was considerable. France’s interior ministry said 86,000 people had joined the demonstrations by the start of the day, with up to 40,000 more expected to take part in the main march in Paris. Classes were suspended at hundreds of schools, with the Ministry of Education reporting 891 affected lyceums at one stage on Tuesday.

Students, teaching staff and police officers were injured

But anger over education is increasingly accompanied by confrontations with the police.

Lecornu told MPs that 85 teaching staff and 215 students have been injured since the movement began, while 715 policemen and gendarmes have also been injured. The data was published by the Prime Minister’s Office and reported by the French media.

Some demonstrations remained peaceful. Others involved the burning of trash, damage to public property, and clashes with riot police, who used tear gas, batons, and other crowd control measures. Authorities say more than 6,000 people have been arrested since the protests began, with most of those detained being minors.

The government also faced criticism over the police response. Amnesty International and other human rights organizations have raised concerns about the use of force, while France’s police watchdog has opened several investigations into alleged misconduct.

The government has promised to crack down on teacher shortages and school infrastructure and has opened an online platform where students can voice their concerns. But the protests show that many young people want more than just security.

For now, Lecornu is trying to separate those demands from the violence surrounding some of the demonstrations, urging protesters to address their grievances through peaceful and democratic means.