World
French Schools Blocked as Protesters Demand More Funding
Dozens of people, including students, teachers and police officers, have been injured as protests resumed at schools across France. High‑school students continue to demand increased education funding and better conditions, following the prime minister’s order that ministers submit an action plan. Al Jazeera reporter Natacha Butler, reporting from Paris, said university students and additional trade unions have joined the nationwide protests and that a large rally is expected in the capital on Thursday. Butler observed that students were barricading a large area and that they were “in solidarity with high‑school students because they say it’s important that as many young people join in the protests as possible.” The wave of protests began in a high‑school in a deprived area of Paris on September 21. Tens of thousands of students nationwide have marched with demands ranging from renovated school buildings to fewer classroom hours. Rights groups accuse security officials of using disproportionate force; several demonstrators have been injured, including a teenager who lost a hand and another whose jaw was shattered by an exploding stun grenade. Police officers and teachers have also been injured, with authorities accusing students of violent acts. The Interior Ministry reports at least 6,600 arrests, mostly of minors. 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‑strained outgoing government of Emmanuel Macron ahead of the April elections. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu condemned the violence in a TV address on Wednesday, blaming “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, saying the government only talks about solutions without concrete actions and that they will keep marching until their demands are met.