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French students lead massive protests against education policies
PBS • • world
Key Points:
- Over 250,000 people, including students, parents, and teachers, participated in nationwide protests in France, demanding increased education funding amid issues like understaffed schools and overcrowded classrooms.
- Clashes between police and protesters occurred in several cities, with authorities reporting around 300 hostile individuals confronting officers, leading to the use of tear gas and arrests.
- Since mid-September, approximately 6,000 people have been arrested, with injuries reported among 300 students and staff and about 700 police officers; the interior minister described the police response as mostly proportionate.
- French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu condemned the extreme violence associated with the protests, emphasizing the need for unconditional condemnation of such acts.
- Despite police repression, students and union activists remain determined to continue mobilizing, with many blockades forming around high schools, supported by parents and education professionals advocating for children's rights.
