Deliberate fire destroys school hall in Nantes during lycée protests
A fire described as deliberately set gutted the entrance hall of a Nantes secondary school on Thursday as French lycée blockades entered a third day.
Update ·
Updated with new reports from our sources.
A fire set deliberately destroyed the entrance hall of the Lycée Nelson Mandela on Nantes's Île de Nantes district on Thursday morning, on the third day of a protest movement demanding more funding and staff for French secondary schools. Deputy headteacher Gaëlle Cordier told news agency AFP the fire's exact origin had not yet been established.
Firefighters were called shortly after 08:30 local time and brought the blaze under control before it could spread further, after it had already reached the building's facade, an AFP journalist at the scene reported. Public transport in the area was suspended and police were deployed, according to Actu.fr.
Some students at the school, which has more than 1,700 pupils, said they heard what sounded like an explosion after rubbish bins and part of the roof caught fire, Actu.fr reported; this detail has not been officially confirmed. A teacher and a pupil quoted by Actu.fr said the fire appeared to have been started by young people from other schools in the Nantes area who had joined the demonstration, rather than by Nelson Mandela's own students, though this has not been verified by police.
Riot police used tear gas to disperse a group of pupils gathered near the nearby Beaulieu shopping centre, witnesses told Actu.fr. Some students remained camped outside the school and the shopping centre afterwards.
The fire came three days into a wave of blockades at French secondary schools over staffing and funding, with pupils also blocking schools in Paris, Marseille, Strasbourg and Rennes on Thursday, Le Progrès reported. Édouard Geffray, the education ministry's director-general for schools, announced a new consultation platform open to all secondary pupils in an attempt to end the movement, which began on Tuesday.
What we know
- A deliberately set fire destroyed the entrance hall of the Lycée Nelson Mandela on Nantes's Île de Nantes on Thursday morning, the deputy headteacher said.
- Firefighters brought the blaze under control after it reached the building's facade; no injuries have been reported.
- The school, which has more than 1,700 pupils, was under blockade over funding when the fire broke out.
- Riot police used tear gas on pupils gathered near the nearby Beaulieu shopping centre, according to witnesses.
- The fire happened during a third day of lycée blockades across France, including in Paris, Marseille, Strasbourg and Rennes.
Not yet confirmed
- Witness accounts that bins and the roof caught fire before an explosion-like sound was heard.
- Claims by a teacher and a student that the fire was started by pupils from other schools rather than Nelson Mandela's own students.
Why it matters for Europe
The lycée blockades reflect a wider dispute over education funding and staffing that has spread to several French cities this week, following earlier protests that led to hundreds of arrests and injuries among pupils, teachers and police. The fire adds a safety dimension to a movement that has so far mostly involved blocked entrances rather than property damage, disrupting one of Nantes's larger state schools during an already tense week for France's education system.
Updates
·
Updated with new reports from our sources.
First published.
Sources
Reported by 8 reports from 8 independent outlets in 3 countries.
- Actu.fr: "On a entendu une explosion" : un lycée en feu sur l'île de Nantes
- BFMTV: Nantes: un incendie au sein du lycée Nelson Mandela
- BFMTV: Colère lycéenne: un incendie ravage la façade du lycée Nelson-Mandela à Nantes
- G4Media: VIDEO Liceu în flăcări pe insula Nantes din Franța / Incendiul a izbucnit în timpul unor proteste studențești / Tinerii neagă orice implicare
- De Telegraaf: Ongeregeldheden bij studentenprotesten: Nelson Mandela school in brand
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Questions and answers
- What happened at the Nantes school?
- A deliberately set fire destroyed the entrance hall of the Lycée Nelson Mandela on the Île de Nantes on Thursday morning, the school's deputy headteacher said.
- Was anyone hurt?
- No injuries have been reported.
- Why are French schools being blocked this week?
- Students are protesting over funding and staffing at secondary schools, a movement that began on Tuesday and has spread to cities including Paris, Marseille, Strasbourg and Rennes.
This article was written with AI assistance from 9 verified reports and checked under the ECTV editorial policy. Spotted an error? Request a correction.