Hawzah News Agency- At least 400 of France’s 3,700 high schools were closed on Friday, the Ministry of National Education said, with 560 reporting protests or disruptions. The demonstrations began at high schools in the Paris area last week, but they have spread nationwide and led to violent clashes with police.
On Friday, students across the country, many clad in masks, blockaded schools, lit fires in the streets, and faced off with police as they rallied against large class sizes and absent teachers.
Students waved placards reading “We have a future to build, not to endure.”
The school protest movement coincides with a public sector strike against the government’s budget plans, raising the pressure on President Emmanuel Macron before elections next year.
Approximately 2,000 people have been detained so far, the vast majority of whom are children, according to Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin.
Rights group Amnesty International wrote on social media that “the images of high school students being assaulted by law enforcement are extremely alarming”.
“Many are minors, children,” the organisation said. “They must be protected, not beaten with batons.”
Source: Al JAZEERA
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