8 French education staff members injured amid high school protests

The ministry said 96.5% of schools remained open, with 130 establishments closed Monday, down from 172 on Friday.

The protests affected 27 departments nationwide, compared with 33 on Friday. No full school closures were reported in 74 departments, according to the government.

Despite the decline in school closures, the ministry said violence had intensified, particularly in the Creteil education district and in Bordeaux and Lyon.

French President Emmanuel Macron said young people had the right to express their views and discuss their future, but stressed that protests must take place “calmly and in an orderly manner.”

“I obviously cannot justify the violence we have seen. ... It is unacceptable,” he said, adding that progress required “order and respect.”

Macron also said the students’ demands required time, consultation, and respect, adding that “things are moving forward.”

In Rennes, around 10 high schools were affected by blockades, while fires and urban violence outside several schools prompted police and firefighters to intervene, the regional prefecture said.

CGT trade union leader Sophie Binet rejected claims that students were being manipulated for political purposes, saying the strength of their anger reflected deeper grievances, including deteriorating study conditions and problems with the Parcoursup university admissions platform.

The figures exclude a principal and a teacher wounded in a shooting at a school in Aubagne, southern France. A 14-year-old student was arrested, and the incident was unrelated to the protests.