Franck Leroy, president of the Grand Est region, has issued a stark warning to student protesters, declaring that violence and street demonstrations will not secure their demands, as damage to lycées across his region reaches an estimated €2 million.
Damage Bill Climbs to €2 Million
Speaking on franceinfo on Sunday, Leroy said the financial toll of the unrest was mounting rapidly. “All the money that could have been mobilised to satisfy lycée students in terms of buildings will in fact be spent repairing damage that is totally insane,” he said, adding that the cost had reached “€2 million to date.”
The regional president cautioned that continued destruction would ultimately harm the very students the movement claims to represent. “I fear unfortunately that if the damage continues, lycée students have no chance of getting satisfaction,” he warned.
‘Movement Hijacked by Rioters’
Leroy argued that the student cause had been overtaken by individuals intent on destruction. “It is obvious today that the lycée movement has been hijacked by rioters,” he said, describing the situation as “extremely worrying.”
He rejected any suggestion that violence could be justified, stating: “We cannot, and we will not, accept that violence governs our country, that things are obtained through violence. There is no reason to legitimise violence.”
He pointed to existing channels for student grievances, including student life bodies and school administrative councils, which he said “are there to address these subjects.”
Students Urged to Return to Dialogue
Responding to complaints about overheated school buildings, Leroy drew a pointed comparison: “All residents were confronted with that. Did they burn down their homes as a result?”
He said he had seen lycées “damaged when they were practically brand new and where all teaching posts were filled,” adding that “what is valid in certain lycées must be raised in those lycées.”
The regional president called on student leaders to halt the protests and engage with school heads and elected officials. “Let no one come and destroy lycée heritage across France on the pretext that here and there difficult situations exist,” he said.
He concluded with a direct appeal: “It is not through violence and the street that they will obtain satisfaction. I even fear the opposite. There is no possible dialogue as long as there is violence in the street.”
Nationwide Unrest Prompts Investigations
The unrest has spread well beyond the Grand Est, with numerous fires reported at schools in Metz, Salon-de-Provence and Poitiers, among other locations. A lycée in central Paris was severely damaged, and a middle school in Metz was ravaged by flames. Authorities have opened multiple investigations, while incidents including the assault of a police officer have further heightened tensions.
The violence has also divided families, with parents caught between sympathy for students’ grievances and alarm at the escalating destruction. Teachers have reported being attacked, and public figures, educators and parents have increasingly entered the debate over the direction of the movement.
