Fires lit on streets across France after student protests force hundreds of schools to close
Fires lit on streets across France after student protests force hundreds of schools to close
Fri, October 2, 2026 at 12:44 PM UTC
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Fires are burning across parts of France as riot police are responding to student protests over school conditions
Images from this afternoon show burning barricades in Pantin, bins set alight in Paris and crowds of protesters and riot police on the streets
More than 500 schools are facing disruption. At least 65 staff members have been injured in the unrest, the country's education ministry says
The demonstrations - over a lack of teachers, overcrowded classrooms and run-down buildings - started earlier this week in Paris then spread across the country
"We are angry," one 16-year-old in Paris tells the BBC, adding "a lot of noise" is needed to bring about change in French schools
France's justice minister, Gerald Darmanin, says: "We have gone from high-school student demonstrations to a public order disturbance"
Some of the violence and damage has been truly shocking, with teenagers suffering eye injuries and one losing his teeth, writes our digital Europe editor
Fires lit on streets across France after student protests force hundreds of schools to close
Source: “AOL Breaking”
