Anger of high school students: The minister promises sanctions when access to classes is blocked

“Our students need to study.” The Minister of National Education, Édouard Geffray, affirmed this Friday that prohibiting access to classrooms as some students are doing as part of the high school movement is “illegal”. He promises “sanctions”. The Ministry of the Interior announced that 41 establishments had been blocked this Friday, twice as many as the day before.

The ministry and high school organizations are, however, engaged in a battle of numbers: according to the High School Union, there were 500 establishments blocked across the country on Tuesday, compared to 48 counted by state services.

Blockade attempts

In Paris, this Friday, CRS were present from the beginning of the morning in front of several establishments in order to prevent them from being blocked by high school students. The situation was tense at the Carnot, Honoré-de-Balzac (17th arrondissement) and Maurice-Ravel (20th arrondissement) high schools. At the Victor-Duruy high school (7th arrondissement), the police arrested three students, placed in police custody at the police station, said a teacher.

In Lyon, 16 high schools, two middle schools and three higher education establishments were blocked Friday morning. Students at Édouard Herriot high school were sent home after a trash fire which spread to the wooden door of the establishment.

The police intervened for another fire and mortar shots at the entrance to the Cité scolaire international (CSI), in the south of Lyon. Eight people were arrested.