13‑Year‑Olds Set Fire and Loot Lyon Suburb School, Prompting €1.9 Million Repairs

Incident

Two 13‑year‑old boys broke into École Marcel Pagnol in Meyzieu, a Lyon suburb, at 6.30 pm on 19 June 2024. They used a garden fork, a broom and a window‑breaker to force open the front‑door window. A video they posted on Snapchat shows them roaming classrooms, corridors and the canteen, smashing computers, overturning furniture and setting small fires with lighter fuel. They took several pouches of Capri‑Sun from the fridge and shouted “I love fire”. Smoke soon filled the main corridor and the boys fled as police arrived.

Wider Pattern

The attack is part of a growing wave of school trashings across France. Police recorded at least 15 similar cases in 2025 and a comparable number in 2024. Damage this month alone affected 24 high schools during student protests, often linked to dilapidated facilities and staff shortages. Recent examples include smashed computers at Rabelais secondary school in Vitry‑sur‑Seine (March 2024) and graffiti at André Malraux secondary school near Bordeaux.

Impact and Response

Meyzieu municipality spent €1.9 million, partly covered by insurance, to restore the two‑storey cream blocks. Six‑year‑old Lino said his drawings were burned; eight‑year‑old Evan reported flames and toxic fumes. Headteacher Juliane Fauriat likened the loss to being barred from her own office. The 240 pupils were moved to prefabricated annexes and split between two lunch sites. The two boys were caught quickly, given four‑month suspended sentences and placed under special supervision for 18 months. Deputy mayor Sylvie Normand described the act as a reckless dare.

Context

Such vandalism echoes a broader sense of disrespect for public institutions among some French youth, often fueled by boredom, peer pressure on social media and frustration over school conditions.