Riot police clash with students as education protests rage in France
Violent protests over education standards have spread across France, resulting in hundreds of school disruptions and over 1,700 arrests. Government officials have condemned the unrest, citing the involvement of non-students and physical attacks on police officers.
Why it matters
The escalation of student protests into urban violence poses a significant domestic security challenge for the French government and highlights deep-seated dissatisfaction with the education system.
Share Save Add as preferred on Google Dan Sales Getty Images A fire blazes in the street as protesting students carry out a blockade in Brest Riot police have clashed with protesters as thousands of students demonstrating over education standards disrupted more than 700 schools in France.
Fires have burned in the streets as high school pupils and others objected to a lack of teachers, overcrowded classrooms and run-down buildings. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said 1,747 people were arrested on Friday.
The protests began last week in the capital Paris and have spread across the country, with cities including Montpellier, Nantes and Marseille affected.
French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said things had "gone from high-school student demonstrations to a public order disturbance".
Darmanin said that 735 of France's 3,700 schools were now affected "one way or another" by the violent protests.
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12 other newsrooms covered this event. We read each version separately.
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