Protests against poor school facilities in France escalate into arrests and strikes

The sometimes violent protests against the poor facilities in schools in France have spread and led to numerous arrests. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez spoke on BFMTV of 440 people arrested. Most of them are minors. They are mostly accused of damaging property or attacking law enforcement officers. The numbers are still preliminary, said Nuñez.

The Ministry of Education reported 31 injuries among students and employees. At least ten education workers were injured, said Education Minister Édouard Geffray - including a teacher who was beaten in the north of the country and a school principal who was injured by a firecracker in the Hauts-de-Seine department. Another school principal was threatened with death in the Essonne department. “This violence is unspeakable,” wrote Geffray on X .

On Tuesday there was also a national strike day in the public sector in France; According to union figures, more than 300,000 people took to the streets. Public sector employees complain about real wage losses because their salaries have only increased by five percent since 2017 - with inflation at around 24 percent.

The background is feared savings in the draft budget for the coming year, which Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu wants to present on Thursday. Billions in savings are needed because France's national debt has risen to a record level.

As was the case last year, it will likely be a feat of strength for President Emmanuel Macron's centrist camp to get the budget through parliament without its own majority. Lecornu again wants to approach the socialists to find a compromise. However, radical cuts are not expected in the run-up to the presidential election next spring.