The interior ministry put Tuesday's marches at more than 250,000 people. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said at least 215 teenagers and 85 school staff had been injured since the protests began.
More than 250,000 pupils, teachers and parents marched across France on Tuesday in the largest day so far of a campaign over high-school conditions, The Guardian reported. The interior ministry said 200,000 people joined marches in cities including Marseille, Nantes and Lyon, and 56,000 joined the largest demonstration in Paris. Organisers put the total at 450,000.
Police fired tear gas and carried out baton charges as some marches ended in vandalism and skirmishes, the paper said. Most passed without serious incident. Students have blockaded hundreds of schools since late September, citing missing teachers, crowded timetables and buildings that cannot cope with heat.
Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu said at least 215 teenagers and 85 school staff had been injured since the protests began more than two weeks ago, and called that the heaviest toll on the school system in decades. President Emmanuel Macron called ministers to the Elysee on Tuesday night, French media told The Guardian. Daily Trust, citing official figures, said a 15-year-old lost a hand to a sting-ball grenade in Lens on Monday and that the interior minister, Laurent Nunez, said police had opened 10 internal inquiries. Those injury counts come from the government side; rights groups have accused officers of disproportionate force.
The education ministry said 24 schools had been burned or ransacked and that more than 5,000 people, most of them minors, had been arrested since the movement began, Daily Trust reported. Reuters listed the clashes among Wednesday's main stories.
No new law or school reopening date was announced in the accounts used here. The next political step cited was the Elysee meeting.
People Sentiments Negative
- Sebastien Lecornu called the injury figures the heaviest school-system toll in decades.
- Organisers put turnout well above the interior ministry count.
- Rights groups accused police of disproportionate force.