French students escalate school blockades, clash with police in Marseille and Lille

Student unrest over education funding continued across France on Tuesday, with teenagers in Marseille and Lille escalating blockades of school buildings and, in some cases, clashing directly with police.

School sealed off in Marseille

In Marseille, dozens of students used wheelie bins and makeshift barriers to seal off entrances to the private Saint-Joseph de la Madeleine school, which enrolls pupils from nursery through secondary level. As a result of the blockade, the school announced it would remain closed on Monday.

Unrest intensifies in Lille

The situation turned more confrontational in Lille, where protesters outside Lycée Faidherbe destroyed a bus shelter and set a pile of debris on fire. Some demonstrators hurled projectiles before police moved in to disperse the crowd, with smoke visible rising over the street.

Protests spreading nationwide

Beyond these two cities, similar school blockades are reportedly continuing in other parts of France, suggesting the grievances over education funding and classroom conditions extend well beyond a handful of locations. It remains unclear how long the wave of protests will last or whether authorities plan any specific response to the students' demands.