On Friday, people gathered in the streets to voice concerns about conditions in the education system, with some blocking school entrances, setting fires, and throwing objects at security personnel, as the unrest extended across the country. Tear gas was deployed by officers across multiple cities as the protest movement, which had taken root in the Paris region in September, extended its reach further across the country.

Among those drawn into the demonstrations were lycée pupils — chiefly those nearing the end of their secondary education — ranging in age from roughly fifteen to eighteen. According to figures released by the education ministry, roughly 400 schools had their doors closed on that date, while normal instruction was thrown into disarray at no fewer than 564 of the approximately 3,700 secondary schools operating nationwide.

Pupils taking part in the walkout have pointed to a range of grievances: school days they consider too long, facilities they regard as inadequate, classrooms that become uncomfortably hot, and staffing gaps that have left some subjects without a teacher — one student noted that an entire academic year passed without anyone covering science lessons. A 15-year-old student named Simon, standing with classmates outside the entrance of Turgot High School in central Paris, told reporters that no textbooks had been distributed to them.

Tear gas was deployed by officers at Kerichen High School in Brest after objects were hurled at them by students during the confrontation. Entrance areas at two Paris schools — Léonard de Vinci, located in the city's southern district, and Gaston-Bachelard, situated toward the southeast — sustained fire damage. Crews were deployed to tackle the fires.

Video recorded in Belfort, showing a group of young people encircling and assaulting a police officer, drew a public rebuke from Interior Minister Laurent Nunez. In a statement, he characterised the acts of violence as both uncommon and unacceptable. Police took a 17-year-old pupil into custody in connection with the episode, during which the officer was briefly rendered unconscious.

Complaints from students have pointed to what they describe as disproportionate force on the part of officers. Internal reviews were opened by the relevant bodies after three protesters reported they had been subjected to excessive force. In Toulouse, a number of protesters turned to eye drops after tear gas was deployed, while in Aubervilliers, officers carrying batons and positioned behind riot shields formed a line to contain the gathered crowds.

Ahead of the presidential election, the demonstrations have drawn into political territory, with the administration contending that France Unbowed (LFI) — a left-wing party — has been shaping the direction of the movement. Bompard, speaking on behalf of LFI, pushed back against the charge while contending that the government itself had been circulating conspiracy theories.

The education minister, Edouard Geffray, characterised the student movement as one whose direction had been taken over by groups he described as operating at the fringes with a disposition toward violence. At the time those tallies were published, at least 65 people on school staff had sustained injuries since the protests began, a group that included roughly 40 individuals holding principal positions at secondary schools.

According to Geffray, roughly 170 students sustained injuries while upwards of 100 secondary schools were left with extensive structural damage. Darmanin, in his capacity as Justice Minister, indicated that prosecutors had received instructions to seek compensation from parents whose children were implicated in damage arising from the protests. Figures released since the unrest got under way put the number of police detentions at roughly 2,000, with Darmanin noting that approximately nine in ten of those held were under the age of majority.