French Prime Minister warns against escalation of student protests amid arrests
France's prime minister cautioned that further violence in the ongoing high-school protests would be unacceptable, as authorities reported dozens of injuries and arrests across more than 180 schools.
France's prime minister Sébastien Lecornu said any escalation of the current wave of high-school protests would be "irresponsible" and stressed that while the grievances of students must be heard, violence must be condemned and its perpetrators held accountable. The demonstrations, which began in the Paris region last week, involve students blockading schools over overcrowded classrooms, teacher shortages and deteriorating facilities. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez reported that 12 police officers, 12 students and three school staff were injured on Monday, and that 164 people were arrested as protests spread to the southern departments of Alpes-Maritimes and Var, as well as to Marseille, Lille and Sedan.
A union representing high-school students described the actions as a "legitimate response" to the conditions they face, citing a decade of policies they say have left the education system under-resourced. The same union called for a school blockade on Tuesday to defend students' rights against budget austerity. On the same day, unions for teachers, hospital workers and civil servants announced walkouts over low wages and working conditions.
Opposition leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon accused the government of ordering a crackdown on the protests, characterising the participating students as "harmless" and suggesting the incidents resembled urban violence involving masked individuals with fireworks and projectiles.