Protests have resumed at schools across France as high school students press on with demands for more education funding and better conditions, the day after the country’s prime minister ordered ministers to provide an action plan. Reporting from Paris, Al Jazeera’s Natacha Butler said university students and more trade unions have joined the nationwide protests and that a large rally is expected in the capital on Thursday. The wave of protests began in a high school in a deprived area of Paris on September 21 .
Tens of thousands of students across the country have since marched with a range of demands, from renovated school buildings to fewer classroom hours. Rights groups have accused security officials of using disproportionate force against protesters. Several demonstrators have been injured, including one teenager who lost a hand and another whose jaw was shattered by an exploding stun grenade.
They have since been banned at marches. Police officers and teachers have also been injured, authorities say, accusing students of committing violent acts. At least 6,600 arrests – mostly of minors – have been made so far, according to the Interior Ministry.
Authorities said 375 schools were either fully or partially closed on Thursday, and that two dozen had been burned or destroyed. The demonstrations are increasing pressure on the cash-strapped outgoing government of Emmanuel Macron ahead of April elections. Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu condemned the violence in a TV address on Wednesday.
He faulted “political leaders who use this anger to conduct their electoral battles”, after opposition leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon called for protesters to keep marching. Lecornu has ordered ministers to provide an action plan responding to students’ demands by the end of the month, but protesters remain unconvinced.
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