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French Protests Continue as Schools and Events Close
· Confirmed
In Short: French protests over education and living costs continue, with schools and events closing amid fears of more unrest.
French protests over education and living conditions escalated into widespread unrest, with schools and events closing in anticipation of further demonstrations. On Friday, French high school students continued their protests over education standards, clashing with police and disrupting more than 560 schools across the country, according to Warpbeat.
The turmoil in the capital and other French cities saw protesters looting shops, defacing monuments, and clashing with police, marking the country's most violent unrest in years, the Daily Mail reported. French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Friday that 735 of France's 3,700 schools had been affected by violent protests, one way or another, as reported by the BBC.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported that 1,747 people were arrested on Friday, while the Daily Mail noted that more than 2,400 people had been arrested since the protests began. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu vowed that the government would not be intimidated by the violence, blaming the unrest on far-left groups and criminals ahead of next year’s presidential election, according to Thevibes.
French authorities imposed overnight curfews in four northern communes for two nights following violence and looting during nationwide protests against rising living costs and fuel prices, as reported by Franceinfo. The French interior minister said the government was mobilizing 70,000 police officers and gendarmes to city streets this weekend to manage the protests.
The protests have seen clashes between riot police and student protesters, leading to up to 500 schools across France being partially or totally closed on Monday, as stated by the French education minister. The French government is taking further steps to address the difficulties faced by high school students and educational staff, including ensuring classes continue, improving facilities, and better organizing school days.
French President Emmanuel Macron voiced the public’s anger and shame over the rioting and looting, while also criticizing world leaders for making “stupid” comments about the unrest, in an apparent swipe at US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as reported by the Scmp.
A 143-year-old landmark in the French city of Limoges was largely lost to a fire started by masked protesters on Saturday, resulting in more than 1,000 arrests, according to the Hindustan Times. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said around 1,200 people had been arrested during the protests.
Organizers of the protests have called for demonstrations to continue on Tuesday, accusing the government of a lack of concrete measures. Representatives from French high school student groups called for continued mobilization after meeting with President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée palace for the first time since protests started more than a month ago.
Ahead of planned protests, Art Basel Paris, the Fondation Louis Vuitton, and other museums and art events in the French capital are planning to close for part or all of Saturday. Some French Jews are being advised to avoid gathering outside synagogues due to the unrest, as reported by Fox News.
At the Combat Antisemitism Movement, they documented 1,384 antisemitic posts in just two days, including conspiracy theories accusing Jews and Israel of being behind the unrest, according to Fox News.
What this adds
French protests over education and living costs continue, with schools and events closing amid fears of more unrest. The unrest has seen clashes between riot police and student protesters, leading to up to 500 schools across France being partially or totally closed on Monday. French authorities imposed overnight curfews in four northern communes for two nights following violence and looting during nationwide protests against rising living costs and fuel prices.
Background
The Scmp (Hong Kong) reported that a 143-year-old landmark in Limoges was largely lost to a fire started by masked protesters, while the Daily Mail noted that businesses, institutions, and events were planning to close in case of more unrest.
French protests over education and living costs continue, with schools and events closing amid fears of more unrest.
What's confirmed
- French protests over education and living conditions escalated into widespread unrest, with schools and events closing in anticipation of further demonstrations. On Friday, French high school students continued their protests over education standards, clashing with police and disrupting more than 560 schools across the country, according to Warpbeat.
- The turmoil in the capital and other French cities saw protesters looting shops, defacing monuments, and clashing with police, marking the country's most violent unrest in years, the Daily Mail reported. French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Friday that 735 of France's 3,700 schools had been affected by violent protests, one way or another, as reported by the BBC.
- French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported that 1,747 people were arrested on Friday, while the Daily Mail noted that more than 2,400 people had been arrested since the protests began. French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu vowed that the government would not be intimidated by the violence, blaming the unrest on far-left groups and criminals ahead of next year’s presidential election, according to Thevibes.
- French authorities imposed overnight curfews in four northern communes for two nights following violence and looting during nationwide protests against rising living costs and fuel prices, as reported by Franceinfo. The French interior minister said the government was mobilizing 70,000 police officers and gendarmes to city streets this weekend to manage the protests.
- The protests have seen clashes between riot police and student protesters, leading to up to 500 schools across France being partially or totally closed on Monday, as stated by the French education minister. The French government is taking further steps to address the difficulties faced by high school students and educational staff, including ensuring classes continue, improving facilities, and better organizing school days.
- French President Emmanuel Macron voiced the public’s anger and shame over the rioting and looting, while also criticizing world leaders for making “stupid” comments about the unrest, in an apparent swipe at US President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as reported by the Scmp.
- A 143-year-old landmark in the French city of Limoges was largely lost to a fire started by masked protesters on Saturday, resulting in more than 1,000 arrests, according to the Hindustan Times. French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said around 1,200 people had been arrested during the protests.
- Organizers of the protests have called for demonstrations to continue on Tuesday, accusing the government of a lack of concrete measures. Representatives from French high school student groups called for continued mobilization after meeting with President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée palace for the first time since protests started more than a month ago.
- Ahead of planned protests, Art Basel Paris, the Fondation Louis Vuitton, and other museums and art events in the French capital are planning to close for part or all of Saturday. Some French Jews are being advised to avoid gathering outside synagogues due to the unrest, as reported by Fox News.
- At the Combat Antisemitism Movement, they documented 1,384 antisemitic posts in just two days, including conspiracy theories accusing Jews and Israel of being behind the unrest, according to Fox News.
What's still developing
- TEHRAN: Iran summoned French ambassador to Tehran Pierre Cochard on Tuesday over Paris’s treatment of protesters demanding better conditions in schools, state media reported, with French police having clashed for days with demonstrators.
- Iran itself suffered major anti-government protests in January, during which the authorities reported more than 3,000 deaths, blaming “terrorist acts” orchestrated by the United States and Israel.
- Iran accused France of “violent treatment” of the protesters and “extensive and flagrant human rights violations” during the demonstrations, which began late last month and have been accompanied by unrest.
- The 15-year-old had picked up a police dispersal grenade that detonated in the town of Lens, losing his hand and part of his lower arm, officials said Monday, Reuters reported, as the wave of school protests entered its third week, François-Xavier Lauch, prefect of Pas-de-Calais, said roughly 200 to 250 protesters had been hurling objects at police.
- "The government is trembling and it's right to tremble because when the French people are angry, they never let up," Ryad Rani, the head of the LSU high school student representative body, told journalists in Paris.
- Police and protesters clashed violently in Paris and other French cities Saturday on the sidelines of nationwide marches against soaring inflation, with one demonstrator's hand blown off, multiple blazes set and looters breaking into dozens of stores to strip them bare.
- The game in Paris between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints remains scheduled as planned despite civil unrest in the French capital, the NFL said Sunday.
- Ahead of the protests on Saturday, he said, as a precaution, "Lots of synagogues sent out emails to their people saying, 'We're canceling Mincha on Shabbat afternoon. Please don't go out. It's going to be dangerous,'" Samuel Arrouas, a French Jewish community member who divides his time between Paris and Israel, told Fox News Digital.
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- "We all feel anger and shame," he said, distinguishing protesters' "legitimate demands" from "those who destroyed, smashed and looted."
- He said "nothing justifies" the violence and pledged accountability.
- "You go to prayers, and you immediately leave," he said.