France student protests disrupt 375 schools as police use tear gas in Paris

France's student protests disrupted 375 schools on Thursday, October 8, according to the education ministry, while police used tear gas after students barricaded the Hélène Boucher high school in northeastern Paris. The demonstrations over school funding and conditions continued as Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu promised a government response plan by the end of October.

The ministry's count covered schools that were fully or partially closed, France 24 reported. That was fewer closures than on Tuesday, but it still meant another day of interrupted schooling. The available reports do not say how many pupils were affected or establish the longer-term effect of the missed classes.

What happened at Hélène Boucher high school

Students placed garbage bins across access to the school on Thursday. France 24 reported that riot police gathered nearby as students converged on the site, and that police used tear gas when they moved in. Hélène Boucher has been a focus of clashes in the capital during the wider movement.

Emma Khelil, an 18-year-old university student who returned to support protesters at her former school, told the Associated Press she was concerned about police violence. ‘We're here to defend our rights, not to lose an eye or a hand,’ she said. She also described insulation problems, water leaks and occasional rats at the school. Those were her reported observations; the available reporting does not include an independent inspection of the building.

The demands concern funding, teacher shortages and the condition of school buildings. Euronews reported from Paris's 5th arrondissement on Thursday morning, where students had moved bins into the streets. One student outside Lycée Henri-IV said the blockade was intended to support secondary schools in the suburbs. Another student told Euronews their school had been without a teacher in a subject for six months, despite pupils facing the baccalauréat examination in that subject.

Students describe conditions inside schools

The accounts point to several complaints within the movement, from missing teaching staff to the physical state of classrooms. They are individual accounts, rather than a nationwide measure of staffing or facilities. France 24 reported that the protests began in late September and that most of the students taking part were under 18.

Sofia Ferdials, an 18-year-old student at Paris 8 University, told France 24 that protesters were prepared to continue into the coming months if necessary. At Place de la Bastille, school librarian Dounia Gergeon said she joined because she shared students' concerns. She said pupils at the middle and high school where she works had been given time to discuss their demands and felt unsupported.

What the French government has promised

In a televised address on Wednesday evening, Lecornu said the government would share a plan to respond to the crisis by the end of October, according to Euronews. Education Minister Édouard Geffray also said on Thursday that he would present an emergency plan addressing teacher absences within the coming hours or days. Neither reported promise establishes what measures will be adopted or when pupils will see a change.

Lecornu also cited attacks on students and staff, injuries to police and gendarmes, damage to schools and lost class hours among his concerns, France 24 reported. According to Euronews, he denied that officers had been instructed to confront secondary school pupils, saying their role was to protect people and property, uphold the law and allow access to schools.

The police response remains disputed. Euronews reported that students, unions and rights groups had accused officers of disproportionate force, while Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez defended the response as proportionate when violence occurred. France has temporarily suspended the use of stun grenades during the demonstrations, Euronews reported. Amnesty International France welcomed that decision but called for further action.