High school protests are growing in France. The heaviest bill of the last decades

Clashes continue between law enforcement and protesters in mass demonstrations held with the participation of high school students, teachers and parents across France.

Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu, in his speech in parliament, described the events as "the most violent student protests in recent decades."

While the Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that more than 250 thousand people participated in the demonstrations across the country, organizers reported that this number reached 450 thousand.

In many cities, especially Paris, Strasbourg, Rennes and Toulouse, the police intervened with tear gas and pressurized water against groups gathered around the marches.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs announced that 48 security guards were injured and 488 people were detained in the events on Tuesday.

According to Reuters, Prime Minister Lecornu stated that at least 215 young people and 85 school staff have been injured in the clashes so far, and noted that this is "the heaviest price the school system has paid in recent decades."

The Prime Ministry stated that the number of injured police officers exceeded 700.

A young man lost his hand during Monday's protests.

BFM television reported that President Emmanuel Macron called Prime Minister Lecornu and relevant ministers to an emergency meeting on Tuesday.

The protests, which broke out in the poor suburbs of Paris a week ago and quickly spread across the country, target working and education conditions in 3,700 high schools in France.

Students complain of basic maintenance problems, staff shortages and inadequate funding, from water leaks in buildings to mouse infestations.

Among the demands are the rapid replacement of absent teachers, the rearrangement of school hours between 08.00 in the morning and 18.00 in the evening local time, and the extension of lunch breaks.

The High School Students Union announced that more than half of the high schools in the country were blockaded or remained closed throughout the day.

Some local education administrations have tried to move classes online. Human rights organizations, students and parents' associations accuse authorities of using disproportionate force against minors.

The government, on the other hand, argues that the movement is being exploited by outside elements. The Ministry of Justice reported that 1,483 of the more than 1,800 people against whom judicial proceedings were initiated as of Monday were minors.

Paris Police stated that the clashes in the capital broke out as a result of a group of approximately 300 people, most of whom were hooded or masked, confronting the security forces, and that the march was generally completed without any major incidents, and that the showcases of some workplaces were damaged.

While activists in Marseille and Nantes carried signs saying "The state killed national education", parents formed a chain in front of the cortege in Toulouse.