Violent student protests in France: dozens injured and 164 arrested

Dozens of people were injured and at least 164 were arrested in sometimes violent protests at schools in several French cities.

Around 180 facilities were affected by the actions, mostly in the school districts of Créteil and Versailles near Paris, but also in cities such as Lille, Lyon, Grenoble and Nice, said Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez. The protests are expected to continue on Tuesday.

Then there will also be a national strike day in the public sector in France. The protests, which are aimed, among other things, at the poor facilities in schools, began on Friday.

According to a preliminary assessment by the Interior Minister, twelve security forces were injured on Monday. Citing the Minister of Education, he also announced that there were eight injured teaching staff - including three school principals - and a dozen injured students.

There had already been dozens of protests and arrests on Friday. According to media reports, students from secondary schools, the lycées, are demonstrating against a lack of resources and teachers, but also overcrowded classes and timetables. Nuñez stated that there were 27 complete blockades of schools as well as 50 attempted blockades on Monday.