Fires and student protests in France: What is happening in schools and universities

Fires broke out in a number of schools in France, coinciding with a widespread student protest that included the closure of educational institutions across the country, in protest against education funding and study conditions.

Fires were reported at two secondary schools in Nantes, western France, while another fire was filmed consuming the entrance to a school in the northern city of Rouen.

Students are protesting the lack of teachers and staff, overcrowded classrooms, and dilapidated buildings. University students joined the demonstrations on Thursday, making similar demands.

The Ministry of Interior announced the arrest of 1,949 people on Thursday, and the injury of 305 policemen. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu held an emergency meeting on Thursday to discuss the unrest.

The government later said the student-led demonstrations had turned into "urban violence."

The two fires spread in Nantes after a waste container was set on fire, before the fire at Nelson Mandela Secondary School, located in the center of the city, spread to the front of the building, causing damage to the school entrance.

In the southern city of Marseille, staff at Victor Hugo Secondary School were sprayed with gasoline as protesters reportedly filled containers.

In the north, the principal of Degrogelier Secondary School, in the village of Ochil, was injured in his ear by stray fireworks.

The closures and protests began in French secondary schools - which include students aged between 15 and 18 - last week before spreading to hundreds of schools across the country.

So far, 1,027 secondary schools have been affected by the demonstrations, with barricades in place in 222 of them, according to the Interior Ministry.

At least 30 universities were also reported to have been under siege, including campuses in Rennes and Paris.

On Thursday, public transportation services were suspended in Marseille and Strasbourg due to vandalism, threats of violence, and protesters being prevented from moving around.

Raphael, 17 years old, participated in protests in front of a school in the city of Strasbourg, where barriers were used to obstruct the movement of trams on the nearby tracks.

Raphael expressed his frustration with his school's facilities in an interview with Agence France-Presse, saying that some rooms had leaks and that the number of toilets was insufficient.

He explained: "The building is falling apart, and the cafeteria is very small. There is no budget, no resources, and not a sufficient number of supervisors."

Although the next general elections in France are still months away, the protests have taken on a largely political nature, with the way the French authorities are dealing with them.

The government and hard-right politicians have blamed the far-left for sparking the protests, which are organized by a union representing high school students.

Bali Bagayoko, the mayor of a Paris suburb and a member of the radical left France Intrepid party, defended previous comments in which he said violence might be legitimate in some cases - pointing to cases in which protesters were allegedly shot while not wearing helmets or bulletproof vests.

At the same time, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of the International League of France and presidential candidate, stressed that he supports peaceful protests, but believes that blaming the left will not solve the issues that led to the outbreak of the demonstrations.

The leader of the far-right National Rally party, Marine Le Pen, had said earlier: “It is no longer about protests by high school students, but rather about riots organized by professionals and supervised by representatives from the Proud France party.”

The presidential candidate called for the adoption of a new law to combat riots.