Riot police clash with students as education protests rage in France

What the report says

Riot police have clashed with students during a wave of education protests that has disrupted more than 700 schools across France, according to BBC World News. The demonstrations, led largely by high school pupils and joined in some places by others, began in Paris last week and have spread to cities including Montpellier, Nantes, Marseille, Rennes, Strasbourg, Pantin and Toulouse.

The students are protesting over school conditions and education standards, including a shortage of teachers, overcrowded classrooms, long school days and run-down buildings. The BBC said some protests escalated into street disorder, with fires, barricades and arrests reported in several cities. France’s education ministry said staff members had been injured and that some schools suffered significant damage, including attacks on gates, entrances and fences.

The unrest has put pressure on President Emmanuel Macron’s government ahead of next year’s presidential election. Education Minister Édouard Geffray said the movement had been infiltrated by non-students, while Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin described the situation as a public-order issue. Authorities also said prosecutors had been asked to seek repayment from parents for damage caused by children, though that response was reported as part of the official reaction rather than an outcome of the protests.

The BBC’s report adds that some unions have backed the students, while parents have expressed concern about violence and whether children are being drawn into the unrest.