Student protests spread nationwide, driven by complaints over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages, deteriorating school buildings and inadequate equipment, with students reporting overcrowded classes and not enough chairs.

PARIS (Dispatches) -- France’s deepening school crisis intensified on Friday as riot police clashed with high school students across the country, fires and barricades disrupted cities and around 400 schools remained closed, with some forced to move classes online.

Authorities struggled to contain a protest movement that has rapidly evolved from demands for better education into a wider confrontation over public order, government spending and the country’s political direction.

Tear gas filled streets in Strasbourg, fireworks were directed at police in Marseille and rubbish bins were set alight in Rennes. In Pantin, northeast of Paris, protesters set fire to fences and other objects and threw firecrackers at riot police.

In the capital, fires damaged the entrances of two high schools, according to reports from the scene.

The Education Ministry said about 400 of France’s roughly 3,700 high schools were closed on Friday, while 560 reported protests or disruptions.

The closures followed days of blockades and violence that have spread from the Paris region to cities across France. Some schools have shifted to remote learning where entrances were blocked or buildings were considered unsafe.

The numbers underline the speed at which the crisis has grown. On Thursday, more than 1,000 high schools were reportedly affected by strikes or protests, including more than 200 blockades.

The movement, which began around September 21, has therefore moved far beyond isolated school demonstrations and become a nationwide challenge for the government.

At the center of the protests are complaints that students have faced for years: overcrowded classrooms, shortages of teachers and substitute staff, inadequate equipment, deteriorating buildings, long school days and frustration with the university admissions system.

Students have described classrooms lacking enough chairs and classes with around 35 pupils.

The government's response has become increasingly focused on restoring order. Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said on Friday that around 2,000 people had been arrested since the protests began, with roughly two-thirds placed in police custody.

He said that the movement had moved beyond ordinary student demonstrations after incidents involving buses, fires and attacks on public property. He also called for parents to be held financially responsible for damage caused by their children.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray said the unrest had already injured at least 170 students and 65 education staff, including 40 school principals, while more than 100 high schools had sustained severe damage.

He urged parents to keep their children away from demonstrations, warning that young people themselves were increasingly at risk.

The government's position is that legitimate grievances have been overtaken by violent groups. French officials have accused elements of the radical left of exploiting the movement.

A person close to Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said intelligence agencies had told a government crisis meeting on Thursday that the protests had been initiated by politicians linked to La France Insoumise.

The party has rejected the accusation, saying the government is politicizing the unrest and that it has consistently advocated non-violent protest.

The authorities are also facing criticism over the police response. Rights groups have raised concerns about the use of tear gas, batons and other crowd-control measures against demonstrators, many of whom are minors. 

Behind the immediate confrontation lies a deeper financial problem. The government's draft 2027 budget proposes a 1.7% increase in education spending, taking the allocation to €65.53 billion excluding teacher pensions.

That increase is below the rate of inflation. At the same time, debt-servicing costs are projected to rise to €74.5 billion, making debt interest larger than education in the proposed budget.

That fiscal squeeze has transformed school conditions into a broader political flashpoint. Teachers' unions have now called for a nationwide strike on Tuesday, adding another layer of pressure to a government already confronting student unrest and opposition to its spending plans.

The government has attempted to open a political exit from the crisis. Geffray was due to meet education unions, student organizations and parent representatives on Friday, while officials have also withdrawn a proposal to impose enrolment fees on some non-scholarship students entering advanced vocational and preparatory programs.

But the damage to France's schools is no longer merely symbolic. Buildings have been damaged, teachers and principals have been injured, students have been arrested, and hundreds of schools have been forced to close or alter normal teaching arrangements.