Paris:More than 100 education staff members have been injured since the beginning of nationwide high school protests in France, as students continue their blockades to demand improvements in learning conditions. Education Minister Edouard Geffray reported this on Friday after meeting with students and teachers at a high school in Cachan, near Paris.
According to Anadolu Agency, Geffray expressed his dismay at the violence and commended staff efforts to protect students and school infrastructure. The protests have also led to injuries among 215 students and nearly 800 police officers and gendarmes since they began.
On Thursday, approximately 71,500 people demonstrated across France, with 24,500 protesting in Paris alone. The Interior Ministry reported 504 arrests and 48 injuries among police officers and gendarmes during these protests.
The protests are driven by student concerns over teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, inadequate facilities, and school schedules. In response, Geffray announced that 3,024 substitute teachers are being contacted for deployment, with assignments expected soon. Additional contract teachers are also being recruited.
Despite these measures, student organizations have called for further demonstrations on October 13 and are seeking a meeting with Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu. Protests and blockades continued on Friday in cities such as Paris, Rennes, and Strasbourg, leading to class cancellations at Paris' Lamartine school complex and Pantheon-Assas University in the morning.
Separately, Paris prosecutors have opened an investigation following a video showing a police officer allegedly kneeing a demonstrator in the face. This case is one of five currently referred to the national police inspectorate, IGPN, in Paris for alleged police violence, with over 21 investigations underway nationwide.
CFDT union leader Marylise Leon has welcomed the deployment of teachers as a positive first step but noted that the students' broader demands remain unaddressed. She also raised concerns about the proportionality of the police response to the protests.