French education protests turn violent, hundreds of activists arrested
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More than 250,000 protesters have rallied in cities across France, with police arresting hundreds of people as the demonstrations show no sign of easing.
Riot police fired tear gas in Paris, Bordeaux and other cities to disperse demonstrators calling for better school funding.
A protester kicks a teargas canister during scuffles following a demonstration against under-resourced schools, in Paris, on Tuesday, October 6. (AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
Students chant slogans during a demonstration in Paris on Tuesday, October 6. Students chant slogans during a demonstration in Paris on Tuesday, October 6.
The Interior Ministry estimated that 266,000 people took part in demonstrations across the country on Tuesday, including 56,000 in Paris, where small groups of protesters clashed with riot police, reports The Associated Press.
Nearly 500 people were detained on Tuesday, the ministry said.
One incident in Paris captured on video shows masked men fire what appears to be pyrotechnics or fireworks in the direction of police.
The widespread use of arrests, tear gas and riot-control weapons against teenagers is fuelling defiance and angering some parents and teachers.
Trade unions and university students have joined the protests in other rallies, while there is concern school students have lost control of the movement, and it’s now been hijacked by rioters.
A police officer chases a protester during scuffles following a demonstration in Paris on Tuesday, October 6. AP Photo/Teresa Suarez)
More than 700 police and at least 215 students have been injured.
Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the police response had been proportionate in “almost all cases” and that the protests had at times turned into riots, requiring a tougher police response.
Education authorities began shutting schools last week to take some steam out of the demonstrations after widespread damage to schools and mounting injuries among staff, students and police.
The protests began in September in some suburbs of Paris, before spreading nationwide.
Students march during a protest against school funding cuts in the city of Rennes in western France. AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez
Students have drawn attention to rundown classrooms that lack basics such as desks and chairs, become sweltering in summer without air conditioning and, in some cases, are infested with rats.
Other common complaints include staff shortages and exhausting workloads. French high school students’ compulsory classroom hours are among the highest in Europe.
French President Emmanuel Macron has convened an emergency meeting with his ministers to try and quell the demonstrations taking place just seven months from an election.
Organisers of the rallies are pledging to continue them for several more days.
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