High School Protests in France: Thousands of Detentions and Clashes

The protests, which started in the Paris region of France on September 21 and quickly spread throughout the country, led to senior high school students blocking access to buildings and clashing with the police.

Students who complained about excessively long school hours also stated that they suffered from inadequate conditions, overheating of classrooms, and excessive absences from teachers.

UNDERAGE CHILDREN IN CUSTODY

Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin said he wanted prosecutors to hold parents responsible for damage caused by their children during the protests and to "cover the cost of repairs."

Nearly 2,000 people have been taken into police custody since the movement began, and Darmanin said "90 percent of them were minors," AFP reported.

While the government stated that the complaints were legitimate, it condemned the events, which it described as "urban violence".

Students alleged that police used excessive force, regularly firing tear gas canisters to disperse protests, causing injuries.

According to AFP, a fire broke out in Paris at the entrances of Leonard de Vinci high schools in the south of the city and Gaston-Bachelard high schools in the southeast, and firefighters were called to the scene to extinguish the fires.

'STUDENT MOVEMENT WAS TAKEN HOSTAGE'

Minister of Education Edouard Geffray stated that "the high school student movement has been taken hostage by extremely violent marginal groups", adding that approximately 400 of the country's 3,700 high schools are expected to be closed today.

Many high schools, especially in the southern city of Marseille, are also planning to hold classes remotely.

Geffray said at least 65 staff members have been injured since the start of the movement, including 40 high school principals. Approximately 170 students were injured, while more than 100 high schools suffered "serious damage".

"The important thing right now is to make sure our children are no longer on the streets, because they are in danger," Geffray said, clearly telling parents that they should not step in and send their children to protests.