French Student Protests Blockade 220 Schools as Police Make 3,000 Arrests
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Oct 2
French Student Protests Blockade 220 Schools as Police Make 3,000 Arrests
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Oct 2
Summary
More than 1,000 French schools saw protests on Thursday, with 220 blockaded, as a week-old student movement over school conditions spread nationwide.
Overcrowded classrooms, crumbling facilities and absent teachers fueled the unrest, with students in Seine-St.-Denis saying poorly ventilated rooms and neglected campuses had become intolerable.
Police clashes have brought tear gas, fireworks and mass arrests, leaving nearly 400 officers and more than 230 school employees and students injured, according to authorities.
Seine-St.-Denis has become the movement's center, where long-running complaints over discrimination and underfunded public services in an immigrant-heavy district have sharpened anger over education.