France rocked by protests as nearly 400 schools close amid student-police clashes

French protests continued to escalate on Friday, with around 400 schools and other educational establishments expected to remain closed as high school students blocked access to buildings, clashed with police and, in some cases, set fires.The movement, which began in the Paris region last month over teacher shortages, long school hours and poor building conditions, has spread nationwide. The protests have increasingly turned violent, with dozens of people injured and around 2,000 people taken into police custody since the unrest began, Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said."There is an active and violent minority (participating in the protests) ... We're not entirely sure that they are even high-school students themselves," Darmanin told RTL radio on Friday."We have gone from high-school student demonstrations to a public-order disturbance.