Hundreds of French High Schools Shut as New Violence Erupts

French high school students set fires outside schools and confronted police on Friday as nationwide protests disrupted classes at more than 560 schools.

The protests began last week in the Paris region before spreading across the country.

Students have blocked school entrances and clashed with police, demanding shorter school hours, better conditions and more staff.

Students have also accused police of using excessive force and tear gas to disperse demonstrations.

The government says the students’ grievances are legitimate but has condemned what it calls “urban violence”.

In Paris, fires damaged the entrances of two high schools on Friday, according to an AFP photographer. Firefighters were called to extinguish the blazes.

Education Minister Edouard Geffray said the movement was being “held hostage by ultra-violent fringe groups”.

His ministry said more than 560 of France’s 3,700 high schools had been disrupted by midday Friday.

The interior ministry said more than 1,000 high schools were affected on Thursday.

Geffray said at least 65 staff members, including 40 high school principals, had been injured since the protests began.

He said about 170 students had also been wounded and more than 100 schools had suffered “severe damage”.

Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said around 2,000 people had been taken into police custody since the movement began, about 90 percent of them minors.

The protests have also become a political issue ahead of France’s presidential election, with the government accusing the left-wing France Unbowed party of being behind the movement.

The party and its leader, Jean-Luc Melenchon, have not been established as the organisers of the protests by the information provided.