More Than 5,000 Detained in Student Protests Shaking France

Al-Taj News – French authorities detained more than 1,700 people on Friday as part of a student protest movement that included the closure of high schools and acts of violence in recent days, while organizers called for continued mobilization on Tuesday amid the absence of concrete government measures.

French Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez said that 1,747 people were detained on Friday, bringing the number of detainees to more than 5,000 since Monday in connection with the student protests.

He noted that 735 institutions had been “affected by the mobilization,” saying: “We witnessed acts of violence near 158 institutions, where projectiles were thrown and law enforcement officers, teachers, journalists and passersby were targeted.”

The protests began on September 17 in Paris before quickly spreading across the country, as final-year high school students blocked the entrances to their schools and clashed with police.

Students are protesting what they consider excessively long study hours and inadequate conditions in schools, including high temperatures inside classrooms, as well as frequent staff absences.