French prime minister convenes crisis meeting after student protests spread to universities
Sébastien Lecornu called ministers after multi-day demonstrations over school funding spread to universities and sparked arrests and clashes.
French prime minister Sébastien Lecornu convened a crisis meeting today after student protests over school conditions spread across the country and, in some places, turned violent.
Several ministers are expected to take part in the talks to address the situation in secondary schools following multi-day demonstrations that demanded more funding and additional staff.
Escalation and arrests
More than 600 people were arrested yesterday on charges of arson and attacks on police.
The protests spread to universities this morning, with the student union Union Étudiante reporting blockades of around 30 campuses.
In other areas many pupils staged peaceful demonstrations to protest dilapidated school buildings, overcrowded classrooms and a shortage of teachers, while violence and vandalism were reported elsewhere.
Waste containers were set on fire and firecrackers were thrown in several locations, and the entrance hall of a secondary school in Nantes was torched. Media also reported attacks on buses and bus shelters, and police used tear gas at sites of violent clashes.
Photo: press material from the event
