France Riots Escalate: 2,000 Arrested as Police Clash With Teenagers

Violent student unrest surged across France on Friday as riot police clashed with teenagers in multiple cities. Roughly 400 high schools remained closed while authorities said some 2,000 people had been arrested since the protests began. The government is increasingly blaming the country's hard left for the chaos. Tear gas filled the streets of Strasbourg and protesters fired fireworks toward police lines in Marseille. Garbage bins burned down in Rennes and clashes also broke out in Paris. This latest violence marks a sharp escalation from the unrest reported Thursday when hundreds had been arrested as school blockades spread nationwide.

Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin told RTL radio Friday that approximately 2,000 people were arrested since the protests erupted. Most of them are teenagers. He said parents whose children damage property should be required to pay reparations. Education Minister Édouard Geffray warned BFM TV that "In the streets, the children are in danger." Euronews reported Friday that at least 65 school staff members have been injured since the unrest began. That number includes 40 principals along with roughly 170 students. More than 100 high schools suffered what Geffray described as severe damage.

The protests started over complaints about overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, long school days and deteriorating facilities. Students blamed years of underinvestment for conditions inside schools while the government unveiled its draft 2027 budget Thursday. Under that proposal education spending would rise 1.7 percent to 65.53 billion euros excluding teacher pensions. That increase falls below the rate of inflation according to Reuters. But as the protests have grown more violent the unrest has also become a major political fight.

French intelligence agencies told a government crisis meeting Thursday that the protest movement had been initiated by politicians from the hard-left France Unbowed Party known as LFI. LFI lawmakers rejected the allegation and accused President Emmanuel Macron's government of politicizing the protests ahead of France's 2027 presidential election. Le Monde reported Friday that Geffray accused LFI of fueling the initial demonstrations before saying the movement had been taken hostage by ultra-left groups. LFI leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon has denied responsibility for the violence.

Simone Rodan-Benzaquen senior envoy to Europe at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies told Fox News Digital on Thursday that the unrest began with legitimate concerns but has since evolved into something far more serious. The students' grievances about missing teachers and deteriorating schools were real at first she said. But dousing a principal in gasoline and attacking firefighters are acts of extreme violence. What makes this politically significant is the effort to turn frustration over schools into a much broader confrontation with the government.

The protests are quickly becoming a major issue in the campaign to succeed Macron next May. Mélenchon denounces the government's response as repressive. Rodan-Benzaquen said LFI has actively supported the mobilization. Activists circulate footage of clashes party accounts amplify it and elected officials present themselves as the students' defenders. With an election next year she said Mélenchon sees these mobilizations as a way to consolidate young voters and marginalize the moderate left. At a time of deep political geopolitical and economic challenges this is a very dangerous situation for France. Marine Le Pen also accused LFI of playing a direct role in the unrest. This is no longer about high school student protests.

Marine Le Pen posted on X that these disturbances are being organized by professionals under the watch of deputies from La France Insoumise. She argued that a fresh anti-rioters law is needed so joining a riot becomes a clearly defined crime. PSG's Champions League victory has sparked chaos in Paris, with 45 arrests made and fires set across the city. Authorities have deployed specialized riot police and mobile gendarmes to try and stop the unrest, according to Le Monde.

The government's reaction is facing close scrutiny right now. Students and rights groups claim police used excessive force against minors, including batons, tear gas, and non-lethal weapons. Amnesty International issued a warning against such actions. France's Interior Ministry stated Friday that three investigations into alleged police violence have opened, Reuters reported.

There are signs the trouble may be spreading beyond French borders. Students in Liège, Belgium, started demonstrating Thursday, leading to high school closures there on Friday. Fox News Digital tried reaching out to the French government, the Education Ministry, the Interior Ministry and La France Insoumise for comment but did not get responses in time for publication. Tyler Speicher and Reuters contributed to this story.