French teenagers blockaded some high schools and marched through cities yesterday in the latest wave of nationwide protests about conditions in the country’s schools, and some of the demonstrations were marred by violent unrest.
The Interior Ministry said 71,500 people participated in the day’s demonstrations, of which 24,500 took part in the main Paris protest centred around the Bastille square.
The Paris protest was mostly peaceful, although there were occasional clashes between small groups of demonstrators and the police during the evening.
Elsewhere, arsonists attacked a Bordeaux police station, a school in Saint-Etienne was ransacked and a teacher in Toulouse was hit by a demonstrator, said the Interior Ministry.
In Marseille, police said a teacher at Victor Hugo High School was attacked during the latest protests and has filed a criminal complaint over the incident.
The protest movement, now into its third week, has exposed deep tensions in France between popular demands for investments in deteriorating public services and a cash-strapped government under pressure from bond markets to reduce its debt and deficit.
Protesters say they are demonstrating to demand more teachers and better facilities, arguing school buildings are often dilapidated, with overcrowded classrooms that are often freezing in winter and boiling in summer.
Critics say the movement has been infiltrated by violent far-left and anarchist elements.
High-school teacher Diane Di Sciullo joined students in Marseille, saying all they were asking for was a decent education in decent conditions.
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