Teen Arrested After Viral Video Captures Horrific Makeshift Flamethrower Attack in Student Riot

French police have arrested a 15-year-old boy after a woman was allegedly attacked with a burst of flames during student protests in Marseille.

The teenager was detained on Friday evening, 2 October, after footage of the incident circulated widely online. According to Le Parisien, investigators identified him as a student at a local school and said he had no previous record in France's judicial database.

The incident happened on Thursday, 1 October, at Place du 4-Septembre in Marseille's seventh arrondissement, amid demonstrations and unrest linked to a nationwide movement by high school students.

Video footage shows a masked figure dressed in black approaching a woman near a bus stop. He appears to use an aerosol can and lighter to create a stream of fire, directing the flames towards her face. The woman had reportedly attempted to intervene as protesters damaged street furniture.

The victim suffered first-degree burns to her face and received medical treatment. She filed a police complaint the following day.

Protests Began Over Worsening School Conditions

The violence has emerged during a rapidly escalating protest movement that began over concerns about France's public education system.

Students have complained about overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating school buildings, teacher shortages, excessive staff absences and poor learning conditions. The demonstrations, initially concentrated around the Paris region, have since spread across the country.

The government has acknowledged some of the concerns while condemning the violence accompanying parts of the protests.

Education Minister Édouard Geffray said the movement had been 'legitimate at the outset' but accused 'ultra-left groups' of taking control of it.

In a post on X, Geffray said: 'For a week now, unspeakable violence has struck our schools. High schools are being attacked, buildings are being vandalized, sometimes set on fire, and staff are being targeted.'

He added: 'The initial demands called for a better public education service. Those who commit these acts want to destroy it.'

More Than 5,000 People Arrested as Unrest Spreads

The scale of the unrest has placed enormous pressure on French police, schools and local authorities, with protests spreading to numerous cities across the country.

Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said on Friday that more than 5,000 people had been arrested since Monday, with about 85 per cent of those detained being minors. He also said 1,747 people were arrested on Friday alone, while unrest was reported near 158 educational establishments.

The protests have included clashes between demonstrators and police, fires being lit outside schools, vandalism and attacks targeting education staff. Reuters reported that hundreds of police officers had also been injured during the unrest, highlighting the growing security challenges facing authorities as the student movement continues.

The escalating violence has prompted officials to increase police deployments around schools and protest sites, while some schools have been forced to close or partially suspend classes to protect pupils and staff.

Authorities have responded by closing schools in affected areas and allowing some classes to move online when buildings cannot safely receive pupils. Around 400 schools were expected to be totally or partially closed on Monday, with later estimates putting the number between 400 and 500.

The Marseille attack has added another disturbing episode to a protest movement that began with demands for better education but has increasingly been overshadowed by violence, vandalism and clashes with authorities.