Damage to high schools: between 25 and 30 million euros according to Fabrice Pannekoucke

The president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Fabrice Pannekoucke, estimated Friday at “between 25 and 30 million euros” the damage caused by the violence linked to the blocking of high schools, repeating that the “thugs” must be “penalized” financially.

“We are in the estimate, and, to date, we are between 25 and 30 million euros” in damage, “between the establishments, the surroundings of the establishments and the vehicles attacked,” declared the LR president of the Region on Franceinfo radio.

According to him, 93 high schools remained closed on Friday out of just over 300 in the region. He also affirmed that the region's services were carrying out the "identification" of the "culprits", working "hand in hand in this direction with the police, including with the prefecture". “They stage themselves, there are a lot of videos on social networks, we also have recordings of our video surveillance, and videos made directly in the establishments,” he detailed.

“We must pursue each of these thugs so that each euro of damage is a euro of penalty that comes after them. The taxpayer cannot be called on events like this,” also affirmed the head of the regional executive, taking up the position of Laurent Wauquiez, boss of LR deputies and special advisor to the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region. “The thugs will have to pay,” he said on Thursday, assuring that the region was preparing “the filing of more than 400 complaints”, aimed at “seeking reparations in court”, from those who “transformed our high schools into scenes of war”.

The former president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region had also announced the suspension of regional aid paid to “troublemakers and their families”, citing the Pass-Région, the pricing of canteens or school transport.