The key facts
- About 30 masked individuals set fire to the administration premises of a high school near Toulouse; the fire was extinguished by 11:00, with no injuries
- The attackers fired pyrotechnics at firefighters and attempted to steal their equipment; several people were detained
- The action coincided with a nationwide strike: estimates range from 81 to more than a thousand blockaded high schools
Attack on a high school in Tournefeuille
On the morning of November 5, about 30 masked individuals stormed the grounds of the Marie-Louise Dissard — Françoise high school in the town of Tournefeuille near Toulouse and fired pyrotechnic mortars, designed for launching fireworks, at the building. The attack sparked a fire that destroyed the administrative offices, where staff responsible for school life work, as well as the visitor reception area. This was reported by La Dépêche du Midi, citing the prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department; the incident is also covered by Life.ru.
Attack on first responders and the aftermath
The school administration evacuated students and staff, after which classes were cancelled. The arriving emergency responders were also attacked: according to the prefecture, unknown assailants fired pyrotechnics at firefighters and attempted to steal their equipment. About 60 emergency personnel and 14 vehicles were deployed to extinguish the blaze; by 11:00 the fire had been fully put out. No one was injured, but the buildings sustained significant damage. Police dispersed the attackers, and several people were detained. Kamel Chibli, vice-president of the Occitanie regional council, condemned the incident, demanded that those responsible be identified, and stated that restoring the damaged premises would require considerable expense.
Context: high school blockades across France
The attack occurred against the backdrop of a nationwide strike: earlier, protesters had blockaded 81 high schools, with actions taking place in Paris, Strasbourg, Bordeaux and Toulouse. Figures on the scale of the blockades differ: according to the Ministry of National Education, access was blocked at roughly 2.2% of educational institutions on the morning of November 5, whereas the USL high school students' union claimed that more than a thousand high schools had suspended operations. Students demanded increased education funding, a solution to the teacher shortage, and repairs to school buildings; in Paris, police used tear gas to disperse participants in the blockades. A direct link between the attack in Tournefeuille and the strike is not confirmed in the reports — sources describe these events as occurring on the same day.
