Protests disrupted hundreds of high schools across France on Tuesday in what a student union described as a historic morning. The Union Syndicale Lycéenne stated that 2,000 high schools were brought to a standstill and all universities were mobilized as students, parents, and teachers demonstrated against poor school conditions. The demonstrations are now in their third week, with participants demanding that the government address underfunded and under-resourced facilities that many say are falling apart. A large group of students blocked school entrances on Tuesday morning, waving signs and chanting slogans. In Saint-Denis, just outside Paris, a protester told CBS News about deteriorating conditions, citing ceilings falling apart, water in the walls, and rats. Protesters have clashed with law enforcement, resulting in property damage and school buildings being set ablaze. Police reported detaining more than 5,000 people in connection with the unrest, including over 4,000 teenagers. Video footage captured protesters fleeing from officers who deployed tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the crowds. Amid the demonstrations on Monday, a 15-year-old student lost a hand after picking up a police grenade in the northern French town of Lens, according to authorities and the French news agency AFP. A police union source indicated the student appeared to have handled a sting-ball grenade fired by riot police before it exploded. Last week in Saint-Ouen-l’Aumône, a Paris suburb, a 14-year-old suffered a jaw fracture after reportedly being struck in the head by a tear gas grenade, according to the teenager’s lawyer and BBC News. Local officials have launched investigations into both severe incidents. The French government, facing political deadlock ahead of presidential elections next spring, has not yet offered protesters any meaningful concessions. One demonstrator told CBS News that they intend to keep making noise until they receive a response.
Source: cbsnews.com
