More than 400 people, mostly teenagers and children, have been detained across France after student protests over school conditions escalated into violent clashes with police.
French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez told BFM TV that 440 people had been detained nationwide, with around two-thirds placed in police custody.
The protests began as students blocked access to schools to voice frustration over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and packed school schedules. The demonstrations, which started in Paris last week, have since spread to several cities.
France’s Education Ministry said around 400 schools had been affected by demonstrations and security disruptions since Tuesday, out of approximately 3,700 schools across the country.
In Lille, students reportedly set fire to rubbish bins and threw bottles and stones at police, who responded with tear gas. Clashes were also reported in Bordeaux, Rennes, Nantes and Marseille.
Nunez condemned the violence and said seven incidents involved hydrochloric acid being thrown at security personnel, leaving 48 police officers injured.
In Paris, students carried banners protesting school schedules running from 8am to 6pm, saying the long hours were leaving them with insufficient time to sleep.
The protests also drew support from Seine-Saint-Denis mayor Bally Bagayoko, who joined a student demonstration and argued that the protests were understandable given the lower-income area receives fewer education resources than wealthier parts of the country.
However, AFP reported that riot police carrying shields used batons against students as crowds gathered alongside Bagayoko.
Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu criticised the unrest, saying such actions only worsened the situation and were irresponsible. He stressed that there was no justification for threatening the safety of students, school staff or police officers.
Left-wing opposition leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, meanwhile, criticised the government’s response and called on his party’s lawmakers to intervene to protect the young protesters.
The student protests are taking place alongside a wider wave of industrial action, with French trade unions striking over the government’s budget plans, which include €54 million (RM249.7 million) in public spending cuts.
Many public-sector workers stayed away from work on Tuesday, including around 40% of primary school teachers.
