625 Detained in France's School Riots as Mélenchon Calls It a Crackdown
October 1, 2026 · Frisian News
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
French security forces detained 625 people on Wednesday as school blockades spread to 356 lycées nationwide. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed 83 police and gendarmes were wounded the same day.
625 people were detained in France on Wednesday as security forces moved against school blockades that had spread from Paris to Bordeaux, Lyon and Lille, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez confirmed. The figure covers a single day of action at 356 secondary schools across the country.
The detentions followed a week of escalating unrest at lycées, attended by students aged 15 to 18. The original grievances were concrete: overcrowded classes, teacher shortages, poor learning materials and overheated classrooms during this year's heatwaves. A 17-year-old student identified as Fadila told Reuters there were "cockroaches and rats everywhere in the school" and that classroom temperatures swung from sweltering to below freezing.
By Wednesday the protests had moved well beyond peaceful blockades. Nunez listed "the targeting of law enforcement officers, the throwing of projectiles, acts of violence, verbal abuse, attempted arson, and what amounts to urban violence." Eighty-three police officers and gendarmes were wounded that day alone. Since the unrest began the previous week, 119 students and staff had been injured, Education Minister Edouard Geffray said, adding that 34 of those were staff, which he called "unprecedented in national education."
The police were not the only ones under scrutiny. Euronews reported that three separate internal investigations were opened after students were wounded during blockades at Sevran, Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône and Tours, where one young man was hospitalised after being struck in the head.
Speaking from Madrid, President Emmanuel Macron said the students' concerns were legitimate but "could in no way justify violence and attacks on police officers and teachers." He accused hard-left politicians of "legitimising violence" and said elected officials were "not there to stir fears and push people to commit the worst." Nunez alleged that agitators moved from school to school to incite students; both he and Macron accused far-left groups of inciting violence during the protests.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of La France Insoumise and presidential candidate, offered a different account. On Monday he accused the government of carrying out a "crackdown" with "obvious racist undertones" and wrote "Hands off our youth!" on social media, urging party activists to support the protests wherever possible. By Wednesday, Euronews reported, he accused Macron of approving "police violence he ordered against young people," while his party simultaneously called for "non-violence in methods of struggle."
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu called the racism charge "an insult" and accused Mélenchon of "racializing a debate about student security and adding to division where a responsible politician should be looking to restore calm." The government announced it would open a consultation platform on Monday to which "all secondary school students can contribute."
The platform may come too late to matter. In Île-de-France alone, 75 lycées were disrupted on Wednesday and 36 were described by regional authorities as "theaters of violence, clashes and vandalism," Euronews reported. The main student union announced it would maintain pressure regardless.
Frysk625 persoanen waarden woansdei yn Frankryk oanhâlden doe't feiligensdiensten optrienen tsjin skoalleblokkades dy't har ferspraat hiene fan Parys nei Bordeaux, Lyon en Lille, sa befêstige Minister fan Binnenlânske Saken Laurent Nunez. It oantal beslacht ien dei fan aksje by 356 middelbere skoallen yn it hiele lân.
De oanhâldingen kamen nei in wike fan tanimjende ûnrêst by lycées, bywenne troch learlingen fan 15 oant 18 jier. De oarspronklike klachten wiene konkreet: oerfol klassen, tekoart oan leararen, min learmateriaal en te hite leslokalen tidens de hittegolven fan dit jier. In 17-jierrige learling dy't identifisearre waard as Fadila fertelde Reuters dat der 'oeral kakerlakken en rotten yn de skoalle' wiene en dat de temperatuer yn de klassen skommel fan smoarder waarm oant ûnder it friespunt.
Woansdei wiene de protesten fier bûten de grinzen fan freedsume blokkades gien. Nunez neamde 'it doelbewust rjochtsjen op ordehandhavers, it smiten fan projektilen, hannelingen fan geweld, mûnlinge mishandeling, in besykjen ta brânstichting en wat delkomt op stêdlik geweld.' Allinne al dy dei rekken 83 plysjeagenten en jansdaarmen ferwûne. Sûnt de ûnrêst de wike dêrfoar útbruts, wiene 119 learlingen en meiwurkers ferwûne, sei Minister fan Underwiis Edouard Geffray, dy't dêrby neamde dat 34 fan harren meiwurkers wiene, wat er 'sûnder wjergea yn it nasjonale ûnderwiis' neamde.
De plysje wie net de ienige partij dy't ûnder kritysk each stie. Euronews melde dat trije aparte ynterne ûndersiken iepene waarden nei't learlingen ferwûne rekken tidens blokkades yn Sevran, Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône en Tours, dêr't in jongeman yn it sikehûs opnommen waard nei't er yn de holle troffen wie.
Út Madrid wei sei presidint Emmanuel Macron dat de soargen fan de learlingen legitym wiene, mar 'op gjin inkele wize geweld en oanfallen op plysjeagenten en leararen rjochtfeardigje koene.' Hy beskuldige uterst-loftse politisy fan 'it legitimearjen fan geweld' en sei dat keazen politisy 'der net foar wiene om eangst oan te wakkeren en minsken ta it slimste oan te setten.' Nunez stelde dat agitators fan skoalle nei skoalle gongen om learlingen op te ruien; sawol hy as Macron beskuldigen uterst-loftse groepen fan it opstoken fan geweld tidens de protesten.
Jean-Luc Mélenchon, lieder fan La France Insoumise en presidentskandidaat, kaam mei in oare lêzing. Op moandei beskuldige er de regearing fan it útfieren fan in 'repressje' mei 'dúdlike rasistyske ûndertoan' en skreau 'Bliuw fan ús jongerein ôf!' op sosjale media, wylst er partijaktivisten opriep de protesten dêr't mooglik te stypjen. Woansdei, melde Euronews, beskuldige er Macron fan it goedkarjen fan 'plysjegeweld dat er opdracht ta jûn hie tsjin jonge minsken,' wylst syn partij tagelyk opriep ta 'net-geweld yn striidmetoaden.'
Premier Sébastien Lecornu neamde de beskuldiging fan rasisme 'in belediging' en beskuldige Mélenchon fan 'it meitsjen fan in rassenkwestje fan in debat oer de feiligens fan learlingen en it oanwakkeren fan ferdielings, wylst in ferantwurdlike politikus sjen litte moate soe dat er de rêst werombringe wol.' De regearing kundige oan dat se op moandei in platfoarm foar oerlis iepenje soe dêr't 'alle learlingen fan middelbere skoallen oan bydrage kinne.'
It platfoarm kin te let komme om noch wat út te heljen. Allinne al yn Île-de-France waarden woansdei 75 lycées fersteure en 36 waarden troch regijonale oerheden omskreaun as 'teaters fan geweld, botsingen en vandalisme,' melde Euronews. De grutste learlingesfakbûn kundige oan dat se de druk yn alle gefallen fêsthâlde soe.
Published October 1, 2026 · Frisian News