Student protests continue in France, with more than 1,700 arrests by Friday

Protests by high school students continued in France on Friday, with the situation remaining tense. Authorities arrested 1,747 people during the day, while the total number of detainees since Monday exceeded 5,000.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said the protests took place near 735 schools, a figure around 30% lower than in previous days. He also said that episodes of violence occurred near 158 schools, involving law enforcement officers, teachers, journalists and passers-by.

The protest movement began on September 17 in the Paris region over conditions in schools and a lack of funding for education. It later spread to various parts of the country and was accompanied by incidents in several cities.

Following a meeting with the organizers, Education Minister Edouard Geoffrey announced that an action plan to accelerate the replacement of teachers would be implemented immediately, particularly in the first and final grades.

The High School Students’ Union has called on young people to continue the protests and take part in demonstrations planned for Tuesday. Teachers’ unions have also called for mobilization, including strikes.

Violent clashes were also reported during Friday’s demonstrations. In La Ciotat, authorities reported that a teacher was doused with gasoline and then attacked by two people.

The situation also escalated in Strasbourg and Paris, where young people clashed with police. In Strasbourg, law enforcement entered a university campus at the rector’s request.

Amnesty International condemned the use of force against protesting students and called on French police to suspend the use of LBD equipment.

Meanwhile, around 400 of the 3,700 high schools across the country remained closed on Friday. The damage caused to educational institutions is expected to reach several million