French school protests spread as 400 high schools affected

French high school protests over overcrowded classes, heavy workloads, teacher shortages and overheated classrooms spread beyond the Paris region on Tuesday, with blockades and confrontations reported in several cities. Police used tear gas during clashes in Lille, while France’s Education Ministry said protests or disruptions affected 400 of the country’s roughly 3,700 high schools that day. The ministry said about 40 schools were blockaded and students attempted to blockade 44 others. Those figures cover different categories and should not be conflated. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 164 people were arrested and 180 schools affected on Monday. The Monday figures are a separate daily count and are not directly comparable with Tuesday’s ministry tally. At Lycée César Baggio in Lille, an AFP photographer observed students setting bins on fire and throwing objects at police, who fired tear gas. Reports also described blockades or protests in Nantes, Paris and Rennes, as well as Marseille, Bordeaux and Lyon. The incidents varied by location; the available figures do not establish a single measure of disruption across the country.