Hundreds of schools in France remained shut after violent student demonstrations, the BBC reported on Friday. Forty headteachers were hurt during the unrest, according to the same report.
The closures followed protests that spread across the country. The Guardian described the situation as escalating into what it called "urban violence," and reported that the prime minister had called a crisis cabinet meeting in response. The Financial Times reported that French schools were set on fire as the student unrest widened. Sky News reported that hundreds of French schools would stay closed after the violent protests.
The Times framed the moment in stark terms, writing of a revolutionary mood as lycée protests engulfed France. Lycées are the French upper-secondary schools where much of the student action has centred.
Taken together, the reports point to a wave of disruption that has moved from scattered school demonstrations to a national security concern, with the prime minister convening emergency talks and school buildings damaged by fire. The BBC's figures — hundreds of schools closed and 40 headteachers injured — are the clearest measure so far of the scale, though the reporting available does not specify the nature of those injuries or the exact number of sites affected.
What to watch next: whether the crisis cabinet meeting produces any change in policy or policing, and whether the closures extend into the coming school week.
